Damaged Goods
by Netrixie
Summary: HIATUS DRARRY, SLASH, DMHP. Where Draco gets abused by his father and many interesting things happen. Eventual Drarry, eventual character death not major. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **It's all J.K's. I merely fix the (various) mistakes that she made in her (wrong) interpretation of the events in the Potterverse. Just like the rest of you- otherwise, where would we turn for hot boy-on-boy?

**Warning: **Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco.

**Authours Note: **So- yeah. I know that this is a step away from what I usually write, but the Massive-Evil-Plot-Bunny-From-Hell bit me and now I'm doomed. So- I made a deal with the creature; I write this, and it leaves me alone so I can go back to my (two) Super-Massive-Almost-Forty-Chapter-Long Snarry's and my Tame-Plot-Bunny-Farm-Where-They-Let-Me-Type-At-My-Own-Pace.

Yeah.

**Title: **Damaged Goods

**Chapter 1**

Draco grabbed at the wall before he fell down, and a pained grimace crossed his face. He drew his hand away from his side and eyed the brilliant red fluid that coated it with distaste. Wiping his hand off on his once spotless but now torn and ripped shirt, he staggered upright and continued on.

There was no where for him to go, but he couldn't stay here any longer.

His feet carried him across the courtyard of their own accord, his mind not actively engaged in directing them. No one bothered him, for no one was here. Just as his father always arranged it when he had to 'punish' Draco.

But this time it was worse, this time Lucius had gone to far. Draco could feel the life draining from his body as his feet stumbled blindly over polished cobblestones, and smirked faintly as he realized he was going to die.

A hand shot out to grab his arm as a threatening darkness overwhelmed his sight, and all Draco saw as he collapsed into grasping arms was his Godfathers astounded and terrified face.

… … …

Draco woke slowly to voices speaking across him, but made no effort to move from his eminently comfortable position. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt no pain. No where. It was enough to make him smile- had he the energy.

After a moment, the softly spoken words began to make sense.

"… found him… courtyard of Malfoy Manor… didn't think Narcissa was… the truth when she summoned me…"

Draco would have stiffened had he not been floating in a comfortable pain-free cocoon of warmth and security. Who was Severus talking to?

"… I am glad you found him… you did, Severus. Poppy assures me… hairs breath away from death when you… here. I am going… he will stay in the Castle… summer- and I will cut off Lucius Malfoy's rights as a father." Dumbledore's strong voice filled Draco with a sense of safety that he found slightly overwhelming.

"… I was just going to suggest that, Headmaster." Severus' voice, though perfectly calm to one who didn't know him well, was filled with such relief that Draco could taste it. "I will keep an eye on him… he is here- there are only two weeks till… starts anyway."

"He shall have the room… your's then, Severus. I trust that you will find a way to let Mrs. Malfoy know?"

Draco drifted away as the feeling of warmth engulfed his senses, and fell asleep with the profound knowledge that he owed his life to his Godfather.

… … …

The next two weeks passed quickly for Draco- mainly because he spent ¾ of it sound asleep. When he did manage to wake up and move around, however, he saw that somehow Severus had managed to acquire all of his personal belongings from Malfoy Manor. While he wasn't quite sure how Severus had done that, he was absolutely positive it must have been with Lucius at the tip of his wand.

Draco let a hand drift across the silken sleeves of the expensive shirts hanging in his closet and sighed as he drew his hand away and shut the door. Turning his back on the hidden garments, he let his body slump to the ground as exhaustion overtook him.

His legs folded under him neatly, and the backs of his hands rested lightly on his knees, palm up. He gazed in distaste at the long elegant digits, thanking the listening gods that he took after his mother in all the ways that counted.

It seemed that she had given Draco half of her accounts to live off of, as his father had cut Draco from his will, and had given Guardianship of Draco to Severus for as long as the boy was away from his mother's care. His father had apparently thrown the hissy fit of the century when he had found out that Narcissa, along with Dumbledore and Severus, had convinced the Wizengammot to sever all legal ties binding Draco to his father.

Draco was merely glad that he had been asleep for most of it; he had not wanted to see the trail in any event, and the fact that they had used photos of his broken and unconscious body as Article of Evidence Number 1 only strengthened that feeling.

He didn't hear Severus enter the room, but he saw the man settle onto his haunches in front of him and look at him with a question in his eyes. Draco sighed as he returned to regarding his hands distrustfully.

Severus reached out and took the boys pale hands in his own; noting that the slim appendages were limp.

"Draco," he said seriously, "School begins again tomorrow. Are you sure you are ready?"

Draco lifted his head and let it drift back until it hit the closet door. "I'll be fine," he assured the black-haired man. The delicate strands of his hair glided across his face, obscuring his vision as Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

Severus placed Draco's hands back in his lap carefully, handling the boy like he was made of glass, and sat back on his heels. Clasping his own hands tightly, he thoughtfully considered his next words.

"Draco-" he began, but halted, his well-placed words suddenly inadequate for the task assigned to them. He tried again.

"Draco- Potter and his gang, even after being warned by Minerva, will still seek you out as an object to vent their anger and frustration on as they have these past years. No matter what, you are going to have to pretend like nothing happened to you. Dumbledore has kept the Wizengammot from telling the general public of the trail- and the goblins will never say anything- but it will not remain a secret for long."

Severus stopped as he chose his wording precisely. "You are either going to have to make friends with the three of them, or you are going to have to find another way to end this feud that that four of you have." The words fell like sawdust from the older man's mouth as he advocated that Draco do the one thing that would surely ruin his reputation as a Slytherin for all time- align himself with a Gryffindor.

But there was nothing else to do. Unless Slytherin House followed Draco's lead into friendship with their greatest rival, Draco would be ostracized from his own House. But that was better than having anyone find out about what had happened. Wasn't it?

Severus pushed aside his doubts as Draco opened startling silver eyes to smile wanly at his Godfather. Even though the expression spoke of nothing more than a bleak and realistic outlook on his future, it was still like looking into Heaven and gazing into the face of the most beautiful angel.

Draco spoke quietly. "I have it planed, Godfather. I just need to rest if I am going to be able to function tomorrow."

Severus agreed immediately; Draco did need more sleep- the potions he had been taking required lots of rest and a distinct lack of motion to work properly; and stood, offering a hand to his Godson as the boy just stayed where he was.

Taking the outstretched hand, Draco rose to his feet and swayed. Letting his body fall against Severus, he allowed the older man to guide him across the room to his bed, and barely bothered to take his robe off before falling bonelessly onto the sheets and covering himself. He was sound asleep before he finished bringing the sheets up to his chin.

Severus conjured a chair next to the bed and sat in it, studying his charge as though he had never seen him before.

The fine, silken strands of his platinum hair crowned his head, creating the impression of a halo atop the sleeping boy. His face was as pale as the white sheets he lay against, and his cheekbones were high and sharp.

His lips were slightly opened, a startling ruby against the alabaster color of his face, and the fine blue veins that ran just under the surface of his skin were in shocking contrast to his snowy complexion. The silver eyes that were so rare in humankind were closed, and they too were shot through with the subtle blue veins that lined his body. His creamy lashes were long enough to stir envy in the hearts of most girls, and they rested against his cheeks delicately.

He was of average height, Severus knew, but the slightness of his body led one to believe that he was much taller. There was little to no muscle on the teen; any he had was the work of playing Quidditch for the past six years. He was well-proportioned, but Severus knew that he was too thin. Draco was more than twenty pounds underweight according to Poppy, and that fact was finally beginning to show.

Severus sighed as he pushed back his chair and vanished it. Leaning down to press a kiss to his Godson's forehead, he turned and walked away. It would be a stressful day for all of them tomorrow.

… … …

Harry cried out in shock as Hermione tackled him from behind, squeezing him hard as he tried to get his breath back. When he finally did, he turned and caught her in a real hug, lifting her up and holding her as tight as her could, laughing at her when she squealed at him to put her down.

"Really, Hermione!" he admonished teasingly, "I thought you had manners!" The two of them laughed at each other; hiding the tension that threatened to overwhelm them. The letters that had been flying between them all summer needed to be discussed, but now, when others were watching, they acted carefree and happy, ignoring Ron as he walked past them. Harry and Hermione went to find Neville, Ron drifting along behind them even though he knew he wasn't wanted.

The platform was packed, and Harry cringed as the wave of noise hit his ears. Two long months with the Dursley's had made him sensitive to noise- again- and he was still getting used to the fact that normal teenagers were a loud, rambunctious lot.

He followed in Hermione's wake like a fish caught on a line, knowing full well that he was defenseless against Hermione's bright eyes and happy smile even if they were a mere shadow of the expressions that once lit her face. A smile touched his face reluctantly, though, when he saw the reception Hermione received from the group of Gryffindors she had just ambushed. Squeals of glee from the girls, and hearty hugs from the boys, and Harry was dragged into the mix as soon as they saw him, receiving the same treatment.

He was surprised to see how Neville had filled out, and grinned devilishly when Luna came and wrapped her arms around the still-somewhat-shy boy. Cat-calls and wolf-whistles rang through the air, causing the other occupants of the platform to turn and stare at the Gryffindors with puzzled and (in the case of the Slytherin's) disdainful expressions.

"Something you forgot to tell us, Nev?" he joked, and Seamus and Dean joined in, teasing the couple mercilessly. Harry smiled at the banter, standing in the crowd watching as his best friends reaffirmed their devotion to each other, smiling a small, private smile at the affectionate merriment until the whistle on the train told them that they had better get moving.

The crowd dispersed immediately, each attacking a different person, leaving a clear path to the train for Harry, who grabbed Hermione by the arm and (with a short nod to Seamus-who was detaining Ron) ran for the train and an empty compartment. Finding one rather quickly, he opened the door and shut it firmly behind them, locking it with a wave of his wand.

Another wave had a silencing charm on it and he turned to Hermione, who sat suddenly and hid her face in her hands. Sitting next to her, he ignored the sounds coming from outside the compartment as the other students filed on and wrapped an arm around his best friend.

She hid her face in his chest, and- after a moment- began speaking.

"It was fine all summer, really. We were writing letters, and nothing seemed to change, but one day I got a letter from him saying that he was going to live with Percy for a little bit. That was a little strange, given how the Weasley's feel about him, but I just thought he was going to try a reconciliation. So I encouraged him to go.

About a week later I got another letter from him, and he sounded a little different, but I just thought that that was the influence of living with Percy for a week. I laughed and shrugged it off." Hermione stopped to clear her throat, and buried her head into Harry's shoulder as his arms tightened around her.

Taking a shuddering breath, she continued. "Three days after the last letter, he came to my house. My parents were away, but it was Ron, so I invited him in. He seemed uncomfortable, but I thought it was just because he was in my home. We sat and talked for a little bit, but then he came over and kissed me. We'd kissed before, obviously, but he was going further, Harry, and I didn't want him too and-" she broke off, her voice hitching as tears stung her eyes.

Harry wrapped both his arms around Hermione and turned in the seat so that they were facing each other. He pulled her closer, his blood boiling as he forcibly restrained himself for seeking Ron out right now and killing him.

He channeled his rage into his magic, saving it for later, and listened intently to make out the words Hermione was trying to say through her tears.

"He kept t-t-touching me, Ha-Harry, and he w-wouldn't stop. And I t-tr-tried to make him but h-he was t-too st-st-strong and it hurt, Harry, it hurt and he w-w-was p-pulling his p-p-pants down and I was screaming at him to s-s-stop but he didn't and oh God, Harry, my neighbor came over and st-st-stopped him, and called the c-cops, and Harry-" the young witch couldn't speak any longer- the tears overcame her voice and choked off anything else that she might have said.

Harry couldn't see past the crimson that coated his gaze, and as he held Hermione he rocked her slowly, stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other. Many, many thoughts of stringing Ron from the rafters with a cord tied around his neck flashed through his head, and he -barely- restrained himself from leaving right now to find the pervert and kill him.

After a moment, Hermione's tears dried up and she moved away from the circle of Harry's arms. Wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, she looked up to find Harry gazing at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. But they softened as she watched and his hand came up to smooth her hair down.

"No worries, 'Mione." He assured her, his voice smooth and soothing. "He'll pay for what he did."

Hermione nodded, and slumped back into the seat as Harry stood to undo the wards blocking the door. Walking into the next compartment, his face slid into an icy mask only after he had politely asked Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny to join Hermione. They did as he asked, glad of the excuse to not see that carnage that was about to come.

Harry waited until the door had shut behind all six of them before he glided out into the hallway to find Ron. He knew his face was a frozen mask, he knew that he was smiling a cold, little smile that scared the first years shitless, but he didn't know that they were frightened not only of those, but of the fire burning behind his emerald eyes.

He walked through two of the train's cars before he found his target, and as he widened his cold hard smile a crowd gathered, students peeking out of their compartments to see what was going to happen.

Ron turned to face Harry, saying as he did so "I knew you'd see things my way eventually, Harry-" his voice died off as he finally saw Harry's face, and he paled drastically. Harry smiled as the stupid git realized he had fucked up big time, and dragged the teen out of the compartment and into the hallway by the collar of his shirt.

"Ron," he began pleasantly, his voice as frozen as the Pole's, "You should know by now that I don't let anyone touch my family." He tightened his hold on the boy's shirt, ignoring the pitiful squeaks coming from the red-heads throat. "You messed with Hermione, Ron- and you fucked up. No one touches Hermione. No one."

As he spoke, he called up his magic until the rest of the train could feel it oppressing them. Shivering, the students huddled together as they watched the confrontation, wondering how far their Hero was going to go until he deemed Ron punished.

Harry wrapped both of his fists in Ron's shirt and raised his body off of the floor slowly, gathering his magic into his fists until it almost suffocated Ron. "You are going to pay the price, foolish boy." Harry's voice- made to sound like Snape purposefully- froze the train with fear. This was going too far- and there was no teacher to stop it and no Prefect foolish enough to try.

And the only one with any noticeable control over the Boy-Who-Lived was in a compartment two cars away sanctioning his every move.

Harry called up his magic and let it become visible, a burning verdant cloud that coalesced around Ron and sank into his body. "Until you learn your lesson, you are mine. Body-" the boy stiffened in fear- "soul"- Ron's back arched in pain-"and magic." A dusty red cloud, obscured by fiery green emerged from the teens body and disappeared into Harry.

Harry let Ron slump to the floor, and walked away; calling over his shoulder "Someone take care of that."

He walked back to where Hermione was and sat, pulling her into his arms, saying softly "It's all taken care of," as he caressed her hair and wiped away the tears that had started to fall again.

No one dared to ask what had happened. And no one cared to. Ron deserved to die- and as long as he was still alive, he was going to pay for what he had done.

… … …

Draco was waiting in the Great Hall for Pansy and Blaise as the other students began entering. At first he noticed nothing different about them, but soon he saw that the usually wild children were giving Potter and Granger, along with Longbottom, Lovegood, Finnegan, and Thomas a wide berth.

It was not the usual reaction the Golden Boy received, and it made Draco mildly curious as to the reason. But he wanted to talk to Pansy and Blaise first. He spotted his two friends- followed by Crabbe and Goyle- as they walked into the Great Hall, their face's a mask of polite indifference. But when they saw him, undecipherable emotions flickered over their faces and they came over to him immediately. Pansy wrapped her arms around the blonde's thin shoulders as Blaise sat on Draco's other side. Crabbe stood in front of Draco, and Goyle to the rear, protecting their friend from prying eyes.

"Draco," Pansy started as he returned her embrace, "Have you been here since…?"

Draco nodded as he let his guard down for a second, trusting Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle to shield him from view. "Yes," he replied, his voice a faint echo of what it used to be, "I've been living with Severus these past two weeks." Pansy and Blaise exchanged worried glances over the boy's blonde mane, head bowed so his face was resting in the crook of Pansy's neck.

Draco sat up suddenly, his expression one of determination. "Pansy. Blaise." He began, as he searched their faces, "We need to talk."

Their attention fixed on him, and he smirked slightly before continuing, knowing full well that it was a pale shadow of what he could have produced mere weeks ago. "Because of my change in… circumstance… Severus believes, as do I, that securing an alliance with the Gryffindors is the only way for us to…" he hesitated, thinking of the right word as Pansy and Blaise schooled their expressions of shock- "… survive the coming War."

Silence met his words as the rest of the school settled down to await the Sorting, and he let his two best friends think about what he had said. Crabbe and Goyle, bless their unintelligent souls, had sent him a letter over the summer, declaring their loyalty to him even though he had been disowned.

Draco smile slightly as he remembered the letter, blotchy and crumpled, that had arrived with the mail three days ago.

_Draco_, it began,

_We no its not good four us to b yur frends, butt we wanna let u no that we r goin to stay with u._

_Sined_

_Crabbe n Goyle_

Apparently, they valued him enough that they had done the one thing they hated most- they'd written him a letter.

He was torn from his musings abruptly as a roar of pure fury sounded from the Gryffindor Table. Whipping his head around- and ignoring the resultant headache- Draco lost his calm mask when he saw the scene that greeted his- and everyone else's- eyes.

His first thought was that someone had cast a spell on Potter to make him glow green, but he quickly realized that the glowing verdant cloud was the physical manifestation of Potter's magic.

Which must mean that Potter is royally pissed, Draco thought even as the Golden Boy stood and advanced on the hapless form of Ronald Weasley. Even as Draco took in the prowling teenager, he watched the rest of Gryffindor Table, gauging their reactions. Granger was hidden behind Finnegan and Longbottom, their expressions matching that of their ringleader. Thomas was resting idly against the table, wand out and tapping his leg, ready to interfere if he was needed.

And I'll bet he helps Potter, not Weasley, Draco thought as the rest of Gryffindor looked on with varying degrees of interest. The females ignored the scene completely- or so it seemed. But Draco could see the tension in every one of their backs as they purposely looked away from the brewing fight. Even the Weaslette was ignoring the scene, instead determinedly chatting with Parvati and Lavender.

The males, however, looked on with barely concealed glee, their faces lit with a feral joy at the prospect of their Hero confronting the red-headed boy.

For a moment, the rest of the school froze, teachers and students alike, as they observed the actions of the House renowned for it's loyalty and bravery, wondering what on earth could have happened to cause them to turn on the male Weasley. No one moved, fearful that any motion would attract the attention of the vengeful god that had been Harry Potter.

Potter raised his arm, and Weasley froze, his face contorted into a mask of pain and fear as he futilely tried to escape from the invisible bonds encasing him.

"What, Ron?" Harry taunted, his voice as cold as an artic wind, and affecting everyone who heard it the same, "Afraid?" Potter moved closer to the bound boy, and smiled. Draco's eyes widened- that was his smile- cold, unfeeling, and icily polite. What was Potter up to?

Harry stalked closer to the red-head, and stopped a bare foot away from the teen. He spoke, but the words were to low for the Hall to hear, and as Harry's attention was focused solely on the boy before him. McGonagall and Snape stood at a nod from the Headmaster and made their way over to the pair.

But for the sound of the teachers shoes and the faint hiss of Harry's words, the Hall was silent. No one moved, and no one dared to take their eyes from the scene before them, fearful of missing something. When Snape was immediately behind Harry, he stopped and crossed his arms, perfectly content to let Harry realize he was there on his own.

McGonagall, however, tried to walk up to Harry and touch him, and failed. The glowing cloud that now surrounded the two boys kept her out, and she looked towards Severus with a frown. He shrugged as if to say, 'What did you expect?'

The Transfiguration Professor turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Potter, please let Mr. Weasley go. I'm sure we can work something out _in_ _private_." Harry didn't even look her way, ignoring his Head of House and her words completely. She tried again. "Mr. Potter, you are facing expulsion for assaulting another student. Please let Mr. Weasley go."

Again Harry ignored her, saving his words and efforts for the wide-eyed boy in front of him. Minerva huffed in frustration and turned to the smirking Potion's Master as if daring him to do any better.

Severus dropped his arms as he rolled his eyes at his fellow teacher, and spoke. "Potter- this is quickly getting annoying. Please, finish up your game and let us continue with the Sorting and the Feast."

Draco had to stifle a chuckle as McGonagall aimed a threatening glare at his Godfather. But the Head of Gryffindor went motionless a second later as Harry Potter and the seventy-plus students that belonged to her House swung around to face the Potion's Master; their eyes piercing him as they assessed his words.

He stood still, waiting for them to come to a decision. There was no fear in his gaze; which endeared him to the feral Gryffindors- his long years of practice dealing with the most fickle of the House's had prepared him well.

As the seconds ticked by the tension in the Great Hall thickened, but neither Severus nor the Gryffindors cared. Harry stared at the man before him, mind working so fast he was not even aware of half of the things he was thinking, but one stuck in his head- Severus Snape, Potion's Master of Hogwarts, had just redeemed himself.

In a move that was startling after the long stillness, the entirety of Gryffindor House smiled at the black-haired man. He neither sneered nor smiled in response, instead gracefully inclining his head towards Harry, and only allowing himself a small smirk when Harry moved towards him. There was an audible whoosh as the Saviour of the Wizarding World called his magic back into himself, and a thud as Ron's body hit the floor.

"Professor," Harry said in a coolly polite voice as he reached the older man, "Would you care to join myself, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley for a little discussion? Though I am afraid that we might have to wait, as someone had the nerve to pass out. Still, would you be interested when the fourth member of our party revives?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter." Severus didn't allow his shock to show- what was wrong with these Gryffindors? "I would be delighted to attend this meeting."

"Good." Harry turned and walked towards Gryffindor Table, stopping when he reached Hermione. His voice lowered and softened, but it was still clearly audible to most of the Hall. "Come on, love. It would be best if we left now."

Hermione nodded and took the hand he offered, standing and walking out of the Great Hall with Harry at her side acting the ever- courteous gentlemen. No one acknowledged Minerva, and no one bothered the still body on the floor.

Knowing better than to assign a Gryffindor to care for the Weasley, Snape snapped his fingers and gestured for two timid 5th year Hufflepuffs to go towards the body. "Bring that to the Hospital Wing." Knowing they would obey him he turned to Gryffindor Table, raising an eyebrow. "Finnegan, Thomas, Longbottom, with me. Ms. Weasley, if you would?"

He turned and strode out of the Hall, knowing he was treading thin ground as he saw Minerva's furious expression. But what could he do about it? He smirked as he walked by, enjoying the way the Transfiguration Teachers face flushed a deep crimson.

As Severus glided out of the Great Hall followed by four murderous students, he allowed only one thought to distract him from the imminent (but bound to be fascinating) discussion he was heading to: The balance of power had changed. For good.

… … …

"Well," Draco said shakily, hating that his voice wavered, "That was interesting."

"Indeed." Blaise agreed quietly, not commenting on Draco's lack of control, "But it makes our decision rather easier than we thought it would be."

Pansy snorted delicately. "Of course. Now that our Head of House has shown that he has more control over the Do-Gooder-Gryffindors than their own, it will be child's play to convince the rest of the House to join us."

Draco had to think past the web of words to divine her meaning, and Blaise and Pansy waited patently for him to understand. They had agreed with Draco's tenuous plan as soon as Severus had been accepted by the Gryffindors, and were ready to work on the rest of their House.

Draco sighed. He was long since past the stage of being surprised by his friends ability to understand his plans and wishes, and had actually come to like the fact that they could- for all intents and purposes- read his mind. It made life so much easier.

"So," Draco said, reaching up with a shaking hand to rub at his aching forehead, "It begins."

... ... ...

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	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer:_ **I'll be nice. J.K. Rowling is an incredibly neat person who lets us, the poor fan girls, maul her story and re-form it into the shape that we want it to take. Can you believe how indescribably nice she is to allow us to do this? Canon-shmannon, folks, but J.K. Rowling _rocks_.

**Warning: **Nothing's changed; it's all still "Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco." Same as before.

**Authours Note: **I'M SO SORRY!! Please don't kill me!! (glances around for the lynching mob….) I'll do better next time I SWEAR!! But- yeah- here you go. All nice and gift-wrapped in Hogwarts colored paper… with a Drarry bow… and a Snape on the side….

**Title: **Damaged Goods

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Harry pulled Hermione into his arms as soon as they were clear of the Great Hall, wrapping his strong limbs around her thin and trembling body. He waited patiently as she slowly calmed, rocking her gently as she hid in his arms.

His rage was boiling just below the surface, trapped beneath the thin layer of control he had left. Harry blew out a sharp breath from his nose, trying to calm his anger as he calmed Hermione.

After a moment, they were both ready to face the rest of the night. Hermione stepped out of Harry's arms, smiling weakly as the teenage boy searched her face. Satisfied, Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a short, strong hug before letting her go and pulling the Marauders Map out of his pocket.

Whispering "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good_," he waited as the Map unfolded and provided him with a picture of the Castle. Looking for the dot labeled _Severus Snape, _he was not surprised to see it in the Potion's Masters office. He _was _surprised, however, to see Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Dean in the office as well.

Folding up the Map, he absently whispered _"Mischief Managed" _and put it back into his pocket, thinking hard. Hermione cleared her throat and he whipped his head up. When he saw the slightly exasperated expression on her face, he grinned sheepishly.

"Oops," he shrugged, "I got caught in my thoughts for a second."

Hermione giggled, letting the normalcy of the moment take over. "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything."

Harry's eyebrows shot into his hairline, and he said in an outraged voice "Hermione! Take that back, young lady."

Hermione only giggled harder, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes sparkled up at him. Harry grabbed her around the waist and picked her up, tickling her mercilessly until she was begging him in a breathless voice to stop.

Pleased, Harry put her down and smiled at her as she tried to catch her breath. When she had, Harry looked at her then bowed with exaggerated precision and gestured for her to go before him.

"After you, Milady," he intoned solemnly, and cracked a grin as Hermione reached over and thwacked him upside the head. Still fooling around, they made their way down the twisting corridors of the Castle to the dungeons, scarcely noticing (or largely ignoring) the dank air and dingy state of the walls.

When they arrived in Snape's office, they had calmed down some. Not all the way, but some. Ginny was seated on the couch lining the far wall, Seamus and Dean shared another, and Neville was occupying a third. The office was rather more spacious than Harry had thought it would be, but he just shrugged it off. Ginny made room on the couch for Hermione, and Harry took a seat next to Neville on his couch.

After they got settled, Snape looked up from the papers on his desk and leaned back in his chair. "Now that we're all here…" he began, giving Harry a side-long glare that was cheerily disregarded, "I assume we can get down to business."

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately, but it wasn't the change Snape was expecting. After all the years he had treated these students like the dirt beneath his feet they had accepted him into their circle with nary a trace of suspicion. So the students, while tense, did not close him off. He wondered at the change.

Ginny began.

"It all started long before Ron-" she glanced at Hermione, and changed the sentence- "yeah. Anyway, he'd been acting all weird at home, hiding in his room, scribbling off letters to Percy, and generally acting like a nuisance. No real change, so none of us caught the real differences in him."

Neville took over. "I was going to visit Luna, and I'd invited Ginny so I went over to the Burrow to pick her up. When I got there, Ron stared at me for- what was it, Ginny? Five minutes?" Ginny nodded, and Neville went on. "Yeah- he stared at me for like five minutes before coming over and shaking my hand. And I didn't know why he did it, but after lunch with Luna, I dropped Ginny off and he came over, shook my hand again, and said 'Thank you for dating Luna.'

Harry, Seamus, and Dean stared at Neville. They hadn't heard this part of the story before. Neville shrugged, and added, "It was weird, but I just thought he was congratulating me on actually going out with someone." Everyone had a good chuckle at that, and even Snape twitched a lip. "But later on he told me it was because I was keeping the bloodlines pure." No one chuckled.

But now it was Harry's turn. "Ron had been writing me over the summer like normal, but then the letters stopped. So I sent him another letter, and all of a sudden he was like 'Don't send letters to me, I'm staying at Percy's'. I was kind of offended by that, but I followed his request and started writing Hermione instead. She seemed to be in contact with him, at least."

"It was kind of sudden," Ginny said musingly. "I mean- he hates Percy like the rest of us, then out of the blue he just ups and leaves. We were kinda like 'okaaay' and forgot about it."

The students were silent for a second, and Snape looked from face to face as they thought. After a minute, he asked acerbically, "Is anyone going to _continue_ this conversation?"

But instead of the guilty jumps he was expecting as they returned their attention to him, he was greeted with brief smiles and flashes of grins. He sighed quietly. _No Gryffindor is ever going to be cowed by me again, it seems._

Hermione started softly. "He came over to my house in the summer. My parents were away, but it was _Ron_, so I invited him in. He seemed uncomfortable, but I thought it was just because he was in my home." Harry shifted uncomfortably with the urge to go over to Hermione and gather her into his arms. Those were the exact words she had used when telling him.

Hermione closed her eyes as Ginny wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He tried to rape me," she whispered hoarsely, ashamed at having to tell a teacher. As Severus stiffened in shock, all of the male lions let loose a rumbling growl. It echoed in the small room, and Severus stiffened further. But he was the only one. The boys were focused on Hermione, watching to make sure nothing was wrong, and Ginny was rocking the brunette slightly. If anything, the sound calmed Hermione down, because she looked up at Snape with tear-filled eyes and finished her story.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley asked me to not bring it to court because Ron claimed to have been under the Imperious. That he didn't know who cast it. And I agreed, because I never wanted anyone to find out."

Severus sat still in his seat, trying desperately not to find the Weasley brat himself. He could not fathom the change in the red-headed Gryffindor- but there seemed to be no reason to disbelieve the lions in front of him. And besides, this might bode well for Draco…

"Are you sure you do not want to tell the Headmaster, Ms. Granger?" he asked softly, and ignored the slightly surprised glance from the youngest Weasley. "You will, after all, be attending the same classes for the foreseeable future. And while I have no doubt as to the degree of protection you will be afforded by your pet lions-" the boys let feral grins slip onto their faces- "they may not always be there to protect you."

Hermione considered the idea, but shook her head. "I don't want to think about it right now." Severus shrugged- he would tell the Headmaster whether she wanted him to or not.

"Now," he said, looking back to the other children in the room, "Why are you all involved?"

Slowly Harry and Dean glanced at each other, and turned to Seamus. It seemed the three conversed with their eyes, trying to decide what to tell this newest addition to their confidences. One by one they nodded their heads, and turned back to their audience.

This time, it was Seamus who spoke. "I was the one who realized that, with the way he responded to questioning, Ron could never have been under the Imperious."

Dean said, "I was the one who cornered him first to ask why he did it. And got inconsistent answers."

Harry let a twisted smile grow on his face. "He touched my family. No one touches my family."

Severus cocked an eyebrow at the last, and looked over to Hermione, still hunched into Ginny's embrace. The red-head noted the questioning glance and reached down to take Hermione's right hand in hers and lifted it, turning it so the palm faced up and the bone-white scar caught the light. Harry lifted his own right hand, showing off a matching scar.

Snape could only stare, his composure forgotten, as he realized what the foolish children had done. Anything could have gone wrong- their hands pressed together for more than the right amount of time and their magic would be mingled forever. They could have said the words wrong- the incantation incorrectly, the setting could have been off by one detail and they would have been dead.

"Do you know- do you _realize- _what you've done!?" he asked incredulously, ignoring the glances he was getting from the other students.

But Harry nodded, and so did Hermione, and Harry said, "Yes, Professor. We know. We were very careful- followed the rules exactly, this _is _Hermione, you know, and nothing went wrong. I swear."

"Somehow that doesn't reassure me, Potter." Snape's growled answer lessened the tension, and as they relaxed into their seats another thing came to Severus' mind.

"What exactly made you loose your composure so spectacularly before, Mr. Potter?"

Harry's eyes darkened, and Hermione spoke for the first time in a long while. "Harry- let it go." she said firmly, and Harry glanced at her before nodding once, sharply. The atmosphere became noticeably less hostile, but Harry didn't trust himself to speak. So Dean took over.

"The bastard said that we were nothing more than peasant's to associate ourselves so obviously with a lying, deceitful mudblood." Harry's fist flexed on the arm of his chair, and an emerald lightning bolt escaped from his iron grasp. It fizzled out of existence before doing an damage, however, and it seemed to be the catalyst that calmed Harry down.

The others merely took his display of temper in stride, having known and lived with it for six years, but Severus stared as his conversation with his Godson came back to the forefront of his mind. Did he really want his only family to be cared for by this emotional, powerful, volatile young wizard? But then he took in the relaxed faces of those watching the Boy-Who-Lived, and saw nothing more than a fearlessness that could only mean that they _knew _Harry would never harm them.

"I see…" he said slowly, and pursed his lips as he thought. The atmosphere relaxed after a minute, and after another the boys were sitting back in their chairs and chatting. Hermione sat up from Ginny's grip and smiled weakly at the younger girl, who smiled back. Severus watched the interactions for a moment, wondering why these bonds should have formed so quickly. Speaking of bonds…

"Mr. Potter." he said, and the conversations calmed as they brought their attention back to him. "Since we are in such a… giving… mood, do you mind answering one more of my humble questions?" He had to add his trademark smirk, and suppressed his amusement as the Gryffindors tried to look frightened and failed.

"Sure, Professor. How can I help you?" The simpering voice, complete with fluttering lashes and bright smile were enough to have the others shouting with laughter and Severus containing the urge to join them.

"Why on earth would I be the one able to stop the confrontation you were having with Weasley, and not Minerva?"

Harry looked away and started tapping out a beat on his knee as he thought. In the silence Seamus started fiddling with his wand, and glared at Dean as the other boy grabbed at it and held it away. Snape watched in bemusement as the silent argument between the two boys escalated until Seamus was stretched across Dean, reaching for the wand and failing spectacularly.

Harry was watching as well, a tiny smile playing on his lips before he stretched a hand out and summoned Seamus' wand. Handing it back to the smirking Irish boy, he flicked Dean's ear as he pulled his hand back.

"You were always the one who never changed. No matter who was in charge of the school, you remained the cold-hearted bastard that we could count on to keep some part of our lives in order. No matter what the world said about us, you always had your own opinions and stuck to them like white on rice." Hermione was the only one who cracked a grin at the Muggle expression, Harry joining her as he went on.

"When we needed to remember who we are, you'd give us detention and we'd realize that we were no better than anyone else who'd scrubbed those cauldrons. And while Professor McGonagall has also done that, there has just never been the sense that she could- well, _handle_ us would be the right word, I guess- us when we finally lost it."

Severus paused for a moment as he processed the Golden Boys words. Then an evil smirk stretched his lips and he said, "And I suppose you expect me to be able to protect you when Minerva is out for blood tomorrow?"

A startled bark of laughter emerged from Ginny's throat as she envisioned the scene, and Severus turned a glare on the young witch that was lost in translation, somehow, because she merely grinned widely at him and chuckled.

"Alright, you pests. Get out of my office. We'll deal with the rest of this tomorrow, after dinner in the Headmaster's office. Ms. Granger, I expect you will be adequately prepared to face the school in the morning?" At her nod, he went on. "Good. The rest of you- do try and control your tempers, hmm? As much as I enjoy the idea of stringing him up from the rafters, I somehow doubt the Headmaster would see things our way. And Mr. Potter, please stay behind."

The students trickled out of Snape's office slowly, not really wanting to re-enter the Tower. Once the door had closed behind Dean, Severus turned back towards Harry, who was still seated in his chair. The Potion's Master regarded the boy for a moment, then sat back in his chair and brought his hands together under his chin.

"In the Great Hall, Mr. Weasley was unable to defend himself magically against your attack. Why was that?"

Harry stared the Professor in the eye and said calmly, "I removed his magic from his body."

Severus had to give it to the boy- he knew exactly what to say to render the older man speechless. "And why would you do something like that?" he asked as soon as he had gotten his voice back under control. Harry merely shrugged.

"I'm afraid I lost my temper on the train. What with finding out _exactly _what he had done to Hermione, along with how he was acting, I took the initiative and stole from him anything he could hurt Hermione with. Namely, his magic."

The two stared at each other, Harry wondering if Snape was going to tell Dumbledore, and Severus wondering if Harry would ever control himself.

"I will keep this between us, then," Severus halted when Harry shifted. "What?" he asked flatly, almost afraid it could get any worse. It did.

"I know half a train car saw me remove his magic, and at least half of _them _knew what I had done."

Severus sighed for the umpteenth time that night. He didn't want to deal with Gryffindor's anymore, _dammit_! "Go to your dorm, ignore Mr. Weasley if he should be there, and tomorrow, if anyone asks about the incident on the train, act like you have no idea what they're talking about. Come here for lunch, and we will discuss this more thoroughly then."

Harry nodded, and Snape snapped, "Now get out. I have had more than enough Gryffindor foolishness for the first day back. Out!"

Harry grinned, and he stood and walked to the door, and opening it threw a cheery "'Night, Professor!" over his shoulder as he walked through and shut the door. A muffled, but decidedly sarcastic, answer was heard and he smirked a little to himself as he made the trek to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Draco sighed as he pushed the food around on his plate. For Gods sake! All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed in Sev's quarters and pass out for the rest of the year, and term hadn't even started yet! It was enough to drive him to distraction. Unfortunately, he also had the mystery of the Golden Boy to keep him hopeful of going insane one day in the near future, and he hated that his body was still so weak.

He didn't see the looks Pansy and Blaise were passing over his head, but he did see Gryffindor Table. It looked empty- six of it's members were probably in his Godfathers office, discussing the finer points of why they were all out for blood.

Draco sighed. It wouldn't do to think of that- it would only remind him of the need to gain Potter's favor and friendship. Instead, his thoughts turned to the Sorting. Eleven new students in Slytherin, and who gave a shit about the rest of the Houses. Draco dropped his fork and resisted the urge to throttle himself. He was so tired he could not even care about the House he was supposed to be ingratiating himself into.

Finally, _finally, _the old man let the students go and Draco was as besides himself as he was going to get at the small favor. He let Pansy and Blaise lead the way to the dungeons, at least until he got to his new quarters. He still had a bed in the dorm, but for the time being Severus wanted him within easy reach of medical help and family.

They halted outside his door to talk for a minute. "What do you think that whole thing with Potter and Weasley was about?" Pansy mused as her shoulder leaned against the door frame.

"I'll try to find out tonight," Draco said as he too leaned against the door, "Sev is probably going to swing by to stuff some God- awful potion down my throat."

They laughed with him, but bade him a good night and went their own way. Draco let himself into his rooms, suddenly bone-tired and thoroughly exhausted. He managed to slip his shoes and robes off before collapsing onto his couch, falling asleep even as he berated himself for his treatment of his clothing.

* * *

Severus opened the door that connected his rooms to his Godson's and let himself in. It was late, almost midnight, and he had just come back from his conference with the Headmaster. _Honestly, _he thought, _old men might not need to sleep much, but the rest of us do!_ He peeked his head into Draco's bedroom and saw that it was empty, and a frown marred his face as he wondered where his Godson was.

Walking into the living room, however, only deepened the frown. Draco should not be so weary that he could not even disrobe and enter his own bed before being over come by exhaustion. Placing a hand on a pale forehead, he noted absently that the boy was running a slight fever. What worried him was the shallowness of the breaths Draco was taking, as though he was trying to suffocate himself.

Severus scooped the boy up in his arms, again noting the relative lightness of the thin form in his grasp. _The potion's should have put at least five pounds on him by now, _Severus thought as he set the boy on the bed. Removing his clothing with a flick of his wand, and redressing Draco in pajamas with the next, Severus conjured a chair for himself and three vials from his stores.

"Draco," he whispered, soothing the hair back from the boys forehead, "Draco, wake up."

Sleepy silver eyes opened, looking up at Severus with the clouds of sleep still floating in them. Severus knew from that alone that the boy wouldn't remember anything in the morning.

"Draco, drink this. It will make all the aches go away." It was best to be quiet and gentle with Draco when he was like this- sudden movements and unexpected sounds had previously resulted in panic- attacks.

Severus had to hide his anger at the mere thought of what had been done to this boy, his _Godson!_ But he held the vial to Draco's lips and the boy obediently swallowed it, gagging slightly on the taste. When Draco's eyes began to slide shut, Severus quickly began speaking again, trying to get Draco to stay awake long enough for the next two potions.

"Here, Draco. This will make the fever break." A sigh, then pale lips parted as Severus held the next vial to them. "One more Draco, one more. Stay awake, my little dragon."

Draco's eyes were fluttering with the struggle to keep them open, and he finally gave up, letting his head slump back against the pillows and roll to the side a bit. "Ah, Draco, come on, one more, baby. Open your mouth, it will be better if you take it."

Severus couldn't help but use his gentlest voice to try and coax Draco into taking the potion. He knew that if anyone were to walk into the room, he would never live it down, but he couldn't seem to care. And it seemed to be working, for though Draco didn't wake up again, his lips parted slightly and Severus was able to force the boy to swallow the potion by massaging his throat.

Severus sat back, rolling the empty vials absently in his hand as he thought, watching Draco sleep for the second night in a row. The boy turned over, curling onto his side as he slept, oblivious to everything. He was still so pale, so thin, so weak that Severus worried about him constantly. He frowned as he considered what Draco was going to do with Potter, now that the whole school had seen the teen's temper. But it wasn't up to him, and he sighed as he stood, vanishing the conjured chair and reaching out to brush Draco's silky hair off of his face.

He left, setting an alarm to wake Draco at the appropriate time, and an alarm for himself should anything happen in the night to his Godson. Walking into his own rooms Snape set about his own nighttime routine, noticing as he finally fell into bed that it was two in the morning.

With a grim smirk, he rolled over onto his side, calling out _"Nox," _as he did so. He was going to need all the sleep he could get if he was going to be in constant contact with Gryffindors, and he was not off to a good start.

* * *

Albus sat in his office, content for the moment to scratch Fawkes' head as he thought. The information he had been privy to tonight had been staggering, to say the least. He had never though- would never have guessed- that something like this could have happened on his watch. The thought that someone from the Order of the Phoenix would be Imperious'd to do _this_ was mind-boggling.

He sighed as Fawkes keened softly in his ear, trying to tell him that he could never have foreseen such an event. But that wasn't true- he was supposed to know everything that happened within his people's lives- from what they ate for breakfast to what they wore to bed. And for the most part he did know that information. He just couldn't believe that something as important as this had escaped his notice.

That he hadn't seen the differences in the dynamics of the three friends, that he hadn't seen that Harry's infamous temper had been lit, did not bode well for the Headmaster. He closed his eyes as he sat back in his chair, trying to figure out where he had lost control of the situation. But he couldn't find the catalyst. He had spoken to Harry the week before school and nothing had been any different than normal, but then Harry had walked into the Great Hall with _that_ look on his face and Albus had known something was wrong.

Of course, that had been solidified when the Boy-Who-Lived had physically attacked the youngest male Weasley- for reason's since clarified by Severus. The old man sighed, then shooed Fawkes off his lap gently. What with Draco still recovering, Harry and the other Gryffindor's on the war-path, and Minerva smoldering over the fact that her House had not chosen her for assistance, it was going to be a very long term.

* * *

The next morning was tense as the entire school wondered what would happen at breakfast. Would Harry attack Ron again? Would Malfoy and his cronies get into it with the Gryffindor Golden Boy? Would Harry and company even bother to show up for the meal?

These questions were answered as the entirety of Gryffindor House arrived en masse. Minus one Weasley, who appeared to be spending the rest of the morning in the Infirmary. That answered one question, but as the Slytherin faction walked in with Malfoy at their head, meeting their rival House head-on as they walked into the Hall, most wondered what would happen, and if there would be explosions.

Harry tensed as he saw Malfoy enter the Hall and head straight for him. Of course, Harry was in his way to get to Slytherin Table, but he could care less. Draco Malfoy on a collision course with Harry Potter was never a good thing. So when Malfoy paused in front of Harry, and Harry watched the blonde with suspicion in his eyes, the entire school held its breath.

"Potter," Draco said haughtily, and Harry stiffened, "It does one wonders to watch your rival start taking out his own people. Who are you going to deal with next, I wonder? Hmm? Perhaps the Weaslette? Keep it in the family?"

Severus watched, resigned, as Draco confronted Harry Potter. This was manifestly _not _the way to get the Gryffindor on his side, and he wondered what was going on in his Godson's head at this moment.

Harry saw red as the Slytherin insulted his friend, and was about to avenge the slur when he saw something he'd never seen before- a twinkle of humor in the thin blonde's strange silver eyes. Harry almost gaped in shock at the sight, wondering what had caused the sudden change in his schoolyard nemesis. But he was willing to start anew- if Malfoy was. After all, once Ron got out of the Hospital Wing, he was going to be out for blood. And what better way to piss his once-best friend off then to have started a friendship with Malfoy?

"Well now, Malfoy," Harry said with a wicked grin that Draco slightly returned, "It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one, would it? So who are you going to start with? Parkinson? Or Zabini?"

Draco pretended to think for a moment, then cocked his head to the side. "No," he mused, "I don't think so. You get rid of your followers and I'll keep mine, shall I?"

They kept their playful tones and words quiet, so the whole Hall couldn't hear their conversation. It was enough that their friends and associates could hear it, and recognize the new order of things.

"Now that isn't _quite _what I had in mind. So maybe we should discuss this later? When there aren't prying ears listening to our every word?" Harry knew that Draco would understand, and as he thought that the Malfoy Heir nodded, and the two groups separated with no further words.

The rest of the school wondered at the change in the two rivals, and so did the teachers. Severus had to give it to his Godson- he certainly knew how to manipulate the Golden Boy, and even though he had not heard what had been said, he had seen the grin cross Potter's face. _Maybe this whole getting Gryffindor on Draco's side wasn't such a bad idea, _he mused as the two Houses resumed their normal procedures.

* * *

_A/N: So here's chapter two after a really long wait (I'M SO SORRY!!)_

_Chapter three is being edited now, and i hope ya'll love this one as much as i do!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **If Ms. J.K. Rowling was ever this late with one of her books she would- needless to say- not have been a very popular authour. Sorry guys, and no- I'm not her.

**Warning: **Nothing's changed; it's all still "Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco." Same as before.

**Authours Note:**…… busted, yes, I know. I'm really late with this, but it's extry long... so that counts for something, right? BUT I'M REALLY SORRY!! And hey- we kinda sorta start to see a wee bit of Drarry here… lol

**P.S.: Lotsa stuff happens in this chapter, read carefully.**

**Title: **Damaged Goods

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Neville waited until they were all seated to look at Harry with a question in his eyes. The brunette quirked an eyebrow at the other boy, then smirked.

"Just imagine what Ron will say when he finds out about this."

A dreamy smile appeared on Dean's face when Harry said that, visualizing the probable explosion, and Seamus grinned evilly as another thought occurred to him.

"Hey, Harry! You should talk to Malfoy after Double Potions, cuz both our Houses have a free period then." He paused then added slyly, "And dear Ronnikins can watch everything."

"Good idea, Seamus. Thanks." A devilish smirk appeared on Harry's face as he considered what the meeting later would entail. Hermione smacked his arm, realizing what was going on in his skull.

"Play nice, Harry," she warned, her voice deadly serious. "He's not well." Five stunned faces turned to look at the intelligent witch, and she took her time looking at each of them in turn. "Just look at him. He doesn't smirk as often, he usually leaves the conversation to those around him, and he hasn't gotten into a fight with anyone yet."

The others stared at her still as they realized everything she said was the truth. Hermione went on to add, "And he's been given private quarters, next to Professor Snape's."

Neville chuckled as he processed the information. "One would think you've got a crush on the resident Ferret, 'Mione." He said jokingly, and everyone smiled, including Harry and Hermione, but Harry frowned soon enough as he felt a twinge in his chest from the joke. Now why would he care…?

But he shrugged it off, instead turning to Hermione and demanding to know what was wrong with his rival.

She was delighted to talk about something other than her situation, and jumped right in. "Haven't you seen the way he acts? Like if he moves wrong he'll hurt himself?" Harry, still listening, peeked over Ginny's shoulder to chance a look at the Slytherin in question. Hermione continued even as he observed the ice-white blonde.

"And his friends, they never let anyone near him unless they completely trust that person." Harry nodded, discretely watching as that happened. Crabbe- or was it Goyle?- stopped Theodore Nott as he came to talk to Draco. It was very well done, Harry had to admit, and he nodded again as Hermione said, "And they're always watching for something, maybe someone that would be on the way to hurt Draco? I can't figure that out."

Harry tore his gaze from the pale boy and looked back to Hermione, nodding as he agreed with her assessment. "Hey guys?" Harry turned his emerald eyes on the rest of the group, and said, "No matter what happens when me and Malfoy talk later, no one touches him." He waited until they had all agreed to his odd request before adding, "Tell the rest of the House."

Harry turned back to his food and continued eating, still thinking. Abruptly, he swung his head up and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Malfoy Heir. One finger tapped the table and his friends looked on curiously, wondering what he was going to do. As he thought the rest of Gryffindor was told the peculiar order, all of them agreeing though they didn't know why Harry would want them to do such a thing.

Slowly Harry turned away from the direction of Slytherin table and darted a glance towards the Staff table. At first none of the teachers saw him looking, distracted as they were with work and their own conversations, but one by one three teachers turned to him.

Snape let his gaze slide through the Hall periodically, but stopped when he saw the Potter brat staring up at the Staff. He sighed to himself, slightly. He really shouldn't call the child that, given their new change in relationship. No matter that it had come on faster than a Ravenclaw at a booksale, he needed to respect the child somewhat, and starting with his name was good.

Setting aside his inner monologue, he raised a brow at Potter, wondering what the Gryffindor was up to. Yet Harry just continued watching him, setting off all of Severus' alarms that he was going to do something stupid. But Harry merely switched his gaze over to Dumbledore soon enough, and Severus sighed again. He needed more sleep.

* * *

Harry sat in his own world for a time, periodically shoving food into his mouth. But he wasn't concentrating on such a mundane task as that, instead thinking about Malfoy- and all that came with him.

The boy was such a bloody contradiction, and Harry was trying to figure him out. Hot one second, cold the next, a bastard whose disrespect knew no bounds and a smiling angel with a shy glint of humour in his eye. Draco somehow commanded the loyalty of the entire Slytherin House, having them regard him as their Prince and sole authority after Snape.

It was an interesting experience to watch the interactions of the darkest house, how they were all individuals and competent in so many ways, but to see them react to Draco was like watching a swan among sparrows. That analogy was not entirely correct, Harry told himself, seeing as how the entire House was unfairly blessed with good looks and more than adequate magical skills.

But it was close enough. If Draco was the white swan- delicate and beautiful to look at but deadly when crossed- then the other Slytherins were ravens following the lead of their Master. Also deadly-beautiful, but less… _less_. They were just less than Draco.

Harry stared at the Slytherins as he thought this, wondering what- if anything- had changed. In specific he watched Draco, wondering how he could change so drastically in such a short period of time. And wondering what the catalyst had been.

Soon enough, though, he swung his gaze to the staff table to observe the teachers, Snape first. The Potion's Master was eating calmly, ignoring the looks being given to him by the other teachers. Harry almost cracked a smile at that- nothing could ruffle the inscrutable man's feathers, it seemed. Harry didn't let his expression change as Snape met his gaze, instead choosing to study the man's eyes.

They were annoyed, exasperated, and cold, looking at him as though Harry was no more than the bug under his shoe. The man raised a brow even as Harry suppressed his smile at the thought, and looked away, towards Dumbledore. The old man was smiling benignly down on the students, absently playing with his goblet.

Harry smiled slightly at the Headmaster when he noticed Harry staring at him. Albus returned the smile, and went back to watching the other students. Then Harry steeled himself and turned his gaze on Professor McGonagall. No matter what he might have said earlier, the Head of his House meant a lot to him, as did her opinion. So when she caught his gaze and glared at him, his spirits drooped.

He turned away from her intensely disapproving glare, and sighed as he stared at his plate. _I guess she isn't going to forgive us soon, _he thought wryly as he looked back at Draco, catching the blonde watching him curiously.

He lifted his goblet of pumpkin juice slightly, smiling cheerfully at the blonde before draining his glass. Draco arched an eyebrow and cocked his head, no doubt wondering what had gotten into the Golden Boy. But what he didn't know was that he was now under the protection of Gryffindor House, and that Harry had just sealed the bargain.

_

* * *

_

_The trek to Potions is a fun one today,_ Draco thought sarcastically as Pansy and Blaise scowled at anything that moved. Since the fateful meeting with Potter at the beginning of breakfast they had been more protective than ever, and Draco couldn't do anything to get them to calm down.

No matter that they thought the entire thing was a scam to deprive Draco of his leadership of Slytherin House, Draco was sure that it meant something else. Potter would never have seen the glint of humour he'd purposefully let slip into his gaze if he had only meant it to be a hoax. So while Draco was caught in thoughts of Potter and his intentions- and whether they were honorable or not- his friends acted like overgrown mastiffs.

Entering the classroom was a relief, as the cool air of the deepest dungeons was guaranteed to keep him awake. And for Draco, that had become a normal concern. He didn't know how Severus' potions were supposed to work, but Draco was sure something should have happened by now. In fact, Draco had caught Severus gazing at him worriedly- or what passed for the emotion in the older man- a few times over the last week.

But as Draco took his seat in the classroom and the Gryffindors entered behind him, he sucked in his breath sharply. Seated at the front of the classroom in the desk closest to the teachers, was the Weasel.

_Oh, this will _not _be good, _Draco thought with a barely perceptible widening of his eyes as he heard four rumbling growls emanating from the throats of those who had just entered. Fortunately for the red-head, Snape chose that time to enter.

"Be quiet and be seated," he said, his voice sharp with displeasure. The Slytherin's- though they had seen before the uncanny control their Head of House had over these feral lions- watched with surprise as expressions changed and tempers calmed.

The Gryffindor's sat slowly, and Draco found himself surprised again as Potter somehow managed to find the only open seat close to him- two rows back, and one to the left- and sit in it, perfectly at his ease in the Slytherin controlled side of the room. The other Gryffindors took their regular seats, for the most part. Longbottom chose to sit next to Hermione, and Finnegan and Thomas sat together- no surprise there.

Snape made no comment on the changing of seats, and began the lesson. "Since this is the first class of the year, I will be testing you on your knowledge. Quills out, and no talking." Waving his wand briskly, the students found themselves with a three and a half foot piece of parchment in front of them, covered in questions.

Quiet groans filled the class, and Severus raised a brow. "What? You have more than enough time; the class _is_ two and a half hours long. If you wish to continue complaining and receive a failing grade, then by all means…"

But he didn't even have to finish the sentence. The class was already furiously scribbling, hurrying to fill in as many of the questions as they could before time ran out. Draco smiled secretly. It was good to see his Godfather back to being a snarky, nasty old man. Not that he could complain about the father-figure who had saved his life, but comfort was the better choice, sometimes.

--

Two hours later Draco dropped his quill and sighed. If he never had to take such a quiz again, it was too soon. The questions spanned everything from first year to sixth, and many things that were only covered in some of the obscure reading Snape had assigned them. Draco was sure he had done well, and he raised his hand, drawing his Godfathers gaze.

The teacher glided over, stopping next to the blonde's desk and taking the paper from it. A small nod was sent to Draco as the older man moved away, and he sighed in relief. So he had done well, good. He loved it when Severus did the wordless grading charm for him.

Soon enough other hands began to go up, and Draco saw with surprise that Harry and his cohort were among them. _I guess they actually studied this summer instead of whatever foolishness they usually do, _Draco thought, forcibly steering his mind from what had been done to _him_ that summer.

At exactly the time class ended Snape Accio'd the other parchments from the unfinished students, ignoring their groans of dismay. He piled the quizzes- more like exhaustive exams- on his desk and turned back to the students, saying in a displeased voice, "Get out. Go to your next class, or risk getting assigned a detention."

Needless to say, within five seconds the only students in the classroom were Draco, Harry, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Ron. Draco had stayed because he was hoping to ask Severus for more of the nourishment potions, but he shuddered as he wondered why Harry and his friends had stayed. Surely they didn't think they would be able to harm another child in a classroom while the teacher was still there?

But his fears were lain to rest as Harry walked over to him, his face calm and considering. Draco stood and noticed that Severus was not interfering, or even acknowledging the interaction.

"Yes, Potter? What stupid thing do you have to say now?" Draco wondered if he should even try to stay in character anymore when Harry grinned. If the Golden Boy of Gryffindor was allowed to change his stripes so spectacularly and suddenly, then so was he.

"This is 'later', Malfoy. And we've both got free periods now." He smiled, and Draco quaked inside. He didn't know if he was up for this right now, but Harry added, "Let's talk, you and I," and he couldn't refuse.

Best to get this over with quickly anyway.

"Very well." Gesturing for the Gryffindors to lead the way, Draco fell into step with Harry, ignoring the disbelieving look from a certain red-head who had not yet left, and the quiet outrage from his friends at someone stealing _their _spot. Hermione- who had been waiting in the hallway- joined the other seven students as they exited the classroom, leaving behind their once-comrade.

There was silence as they walked, each side gathering their thoughts and hoping that this foolish venture worked. Eventually it was Dean who broke the silence, saying softly, "We're going to the old Charms classroom. It's got the space we need, and… Well. You'll see."

The Gryffindors grinned, and the Slytherins wondered at it. There seemed to be no end of the surprises their rival House was willing to share, and even Pansy found herself hoping that this might work.

A few minutes later found the eight students in front of the old classroom, and Harry stepped forward to undo the locking spell he had placed on it. Opening the door, he stepped back and allowed everyone else in first, shutting the door behind Blaise, the last besides himself.

The Slytherins could only stare. It might once have been a classroom, but now it was more of a lounge than anything. There were couches lining the far wall, and thick, plush chairs grouped in the middle. Eight, if Draco counted correctly. And he did. Besides that, though, there was a hip-high shelf built into one wall, and seemed to be a buffet table. A drink bar occupied a pride of place setting in one corner, and there were three doors on the opposite wall.

"Welcome to the Den," Neville said with a grand gesture, and the Slytherin's jaws dropped further. No wonder the lions had been able to get away with doing this to a classroom. The Den was the only authorized place for Gryffindors to gather other than their Common Room; a lounge area for them to get away from it all.

It was _never_ done to invite members of a different House to your Houses Lounge, especially from your rival House, as no other House was supposed to know its location. As a matter of fact, only a select few from the House it belonged to were allowed to know where it was, and only one had the power to control it. Draco had that power, and he knew for a fact that Susan Bones had the power over the Nest. And now he knew that Potter controlled the Den. It explained a lot about the way the other Gryffindor's deferred to the brunette.

Harry watched the astonished faces of the three guests with a satisfied grin. If this wasn't the offering of the olive branch, he didn't know what was. Draco was looking around, no doubt comparing the Den to the Pit, and Harry grinned. He knew where the Slytherin Pit was, as he knew where the Ravenclaw Nest and the Hufflepuff Cave were. The Marauders Map was an ingenious invention, and he was glad to have inherited it.

"Well?" he asked, grin still in place, "What do you think?"

Pansy was the first to answer, still staring around her in shock. "I think that the Gryffindors have been cloned and given new personalities. Who are you and what have you done to Potter, Granger, Finnegan, and the rest?" Her demand was met with laughs from everyone, and the tension was broken.

"We're still ourselves, we've just… seen the light, I would say." Harry grinned wryly at Seamus' response, and so did his people. Those words were a mild description of what had actually happened, and the rest of his Gryffindors knew that.

"Okay everyone, take a seat," Harry said as he reached into the drink bar and grabbed a few butterbeers, "We're going to be here for a very long time."

Draco was pleased to note that his hands were not shaking as he reached for his drink, though he was overdue for a potion. The thought didn't concern him over much- how long could this take, after all? When everyone was settled, Hermione pulled a small writing desk to her and arranged the parchment, quills, and inkpot on it to her satisfaction.

"Right then. Let's get started."

* * *

Draco sat back with a barely audible sigh, thanking any listening god for the plush chair. The eight of them had been going at this for little more than an hour, but already he was shaking. It was slight, more felt than seen, and it unnerved him. Draco cast a discrete _tempus, _sighing when the time flashed 11:45am.

Their free period was almost over, but that didn't matter. Lunch was next, and given the intensity the Gryffindors and his friends had already shown, they could work through the meal and into the next class.

But he couldn't. Draco knew his body better than anyone else, and knew that soon he was going to have to call a break. Even as he thought that, his stomach gave a funny lurch and he felt all color drain from his face.

_No, not now, _he thought desperately, _no, please, no. Not in front of the Gryffindors._ Even though the other five members of this meeting were having a soft argument among themselves, Draco knew they could see him like this at any moment. This had happened only once before, and he had been with Severus at the time.

The Potions' Master had known what to do, but it had been bad enough even with the level of experience his Godfather had. Draco hated to admit it, but he'd almost died the last time. And now, surrounded by children who had no notion that anything was happening, Draco could admit that he was scared. Terrified.

The shaking that had been plaguing him for the past quarter hour grew in intensity, and his body started to overheat. Moving slowly (both to contain the shaking and not gather the attention of anyone else) Draco reached out across the arm of his chair and placed a light hand on Pansy's forearm.

She glanced at him curiously, looking away when no immediate sign of need made itself known. But mere seconds later her head swung back around and she took in his unhealthy pallor, the slight shaking of his hand on her arm, and the sheen of sweat covering his body.

Her eyes widened imperceptibly, and her spine snapped straight. Moving her head so she could see around Draco and looking at Blaise, she caught the Italian's attention and snapped her gaze to the blonde. By now Draco was visibly shaking, and his skin was a deathly shade of grey.

"Draco," Harry said sharply, suddenly, and Pansy cursed as the Gryffindors turned from their argument and saw Draco, "What's wrong with you?"

"He's obviously sick," Pansy said, her voice sharp with fear as Draco groaned suddenly and covered his stomach, adding, "you overgrown retard." Turning away from the curious eyes, she knelt before Draco's chair and grabbed his hands.

"Draco, honey," she said, her voice quiet and gentle, "Can you make it to Severus?"

She ignored the breath the Gryffindors sucked in at her use of the Potions' Masters first name, and pressed her lips together as Draco shook his head, eyes slamming shut and head falling back as the movement broke his equilibrium.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Blaise snapped, glaring furiously at the others, "Get help, do _something!_"

--

Harry stared at Draco, wondering what was wrong with the blonde. He felt so helpless, and he hated that feeling. The sight of the pale boy, shaking and collapsed inside his chair, was enough to stir his closely guarded magic, and he clamped down desperately on his control. _Neville will get someone in time, _he reasoned with himself, trying not to panic as minutes passed and no one came.

His nervousness, fear, and helplessness was swirling inside of him, and finally he snapped.

"Get out of the way," he said roughly, pushing Pansy and Blaise from their friend. The blonde moaned at the loss of contact, and Harry knelt in front of the chair Draco occupied. The other boy's skin was grey and pasty, and when he opened his eyes to peer down at Harry, he was startled to see that Draco's eyes were a strange, dirty grey.

"What are you doing, you fool?" Pansy snapped, grabbing Harry's arm to tug him away. But at the contact, green lightning flared up from Harry's skin and shocked her, forcing her to drop her hand.

Hermione pulled Pansy away before the Slytherin could incur Harry's wrath, and hissed quietly, "Be silent, idiot." The black-haired girl glanced up, affronted and still nursing her arm (the lightning had numbed it from fingertips to elbow), but nodded.

--

Harry could feel his magic straining in his grasp, and turned an attentive ear to it. Sometimes, if he listened closely, he could sort of _feel_ something from the magic. And he'd learned to listen to it. And right now, it was telling him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't help Malfoy there would be hall to pay.

So he listened.

Reaching out a hand towards his enemy whose eyes had drifted shut moments before (_an enemy no longer, _a voice inside of him whispered, but Harry ignored it for right now), Harry gently, oh so gently, placed two fingertips on the side of the blonde's jaw, on top of the pulse point.

The effect was immediate. Draco arched up under his touch, body straining against an unknown force, back curved painfully. Hermione stifled Pansy's shout of protest immediately, and Neville had to physically hold Blaise back. But what the others would remember for the rest of their lives was the sight of color flowing back into Draco's skin, localized at the point where Harry's fingers rested.

The color spread, taking the place of the dull pallor that had resided on Draco's skin mere moments before. Where Draco's natural color flowed through his body the shakes he had been suffering stopped. The light sheen of sweat on his skin disappeared, and inside Draco's body his stomach calmed and settled back into place.

Harry held his fingers on the now alabaster skin, wondering at the changes he had wrought, feeling his magic relax and retreat, no longer ripping at his self-control. Draco's eyes opened, and his head angled down until startling silver orbs gazed at Harry. Still connected, they stared at each other, no longer caring about anything other than what they could read in the other's eyes.

--

_It is odd_, Draco thought distantly, through the numbing sense of safety flowing in his body, _that my once most- hated enemy has just saved me. _But he struggled to bring himself out of the haze he was in, struggled to reach the surface before he drowned in this beguiling comfort. But it seemed the more he struggled and fought the harder it was to move, and as he started panicking he saw something.

Brilliant emerald lights flashed at him, seeking through this mist to find someone. Draco moved towards the light curiously, letting his almost-panic subside, wondering what it was. The mist allowed him to go, apparently deciding that Draco wasn't going to try and get free.

The closer he got to the green lights the more he thought he recognized them. It was only when he was face to face with Harry Potter that he understood.

'_Where are we?' _Harry asked, his voice echoing oddly in the mist. Draco waited before answering, wondering vaguely why the mist had retreated to form a clearing around them.

'_You are in me,' _he said finally, having reached that conclusion himself just now. Harry frowned, looking around at the curtaining fog. Draco watched the teen curiously. '_Why are you here?' _Draco asked, '_you do not belong in me.'_

Harry walked closer to Draco, ignoring the swirling vines of mist that reached out and brushed his ankle. '_This is not normal,' _Harry said, and Draco laughed.

'_You are standing inside of me, and you say only that it is not _normal?' Draco chuckled, not noticing how the sound carried only until it hit the fog before cutting off. Harry did.

'_That is not what I meant. What I meant was that your mind should be full of memories, emotions, thoughts, not this ugly defiling mist that tracks mud through your soul.'_

Draco blinked in confusion. They were in his mind? Did that mean this was all a dream? But Harry was speaking again.

'_Your mind should look like this,' _and before he knew what was happening, Draco felt a not-unpleasant tug from the general vicinity of his heart, and suddenly he was somewhere else.

The somewhere else was busy; pictures and colors and sounds drifting by too fast to comprehend. But there was something else here, something that Draco couldn't put a finger on. Like all this motion and confusion was not confused but ordered so strictly that no thing was out of place.

'_Where are we?' _Draco asked, turning behind him to gaze at Harry. Harry came up next to the blonde, stopping when their shoulders touched.

'_We are inside of my mind now,' _Harry said calmly, and Draco arched an eyebrow.

'_Really? I suppose that's why it's such a hectic place?'_ But Harry just grinned, and caught Draco's hand.

'_Come here.'_ Harry dragged Draco through the chaos steadily, knowing where he was going. Stopping before a section of the place they were in- Draco refused to believe he was standing in _Harry Potter's mind-_ Harry said, '_Watch.'_

The blank, vibrant green picture changed, and it became blurry. But soon enough Draco could see a familiar classroom-that-was-not-a-classroom, and five people standing around a hidden thing. Blaise- _that's Blaise? _Draco thought, not having recognized his friend at first- moved to the side and Draco could see what they were staring at.

His body was crumpled up inside a chair, a position he cringed to see himself in, head rolled back, eyes closed once again, and body limp. Harry's body was kneeling at his feet- Draco smirked for a second, his old attitude rising for one moment to acknowledge the irony of that statement- one hand raised and two fingers touching Draco, his eyes also closed.

The moment of irony was past now, and Draco shivered as he saw the looks on the faces surrounding them. Fear, mistrust, and dread. The thin blonde wrapped his arms around himself to stave off the shivers he felt approaching, and stared at the scene for a long moment. Harry's hand still held his but now the green-eyed boy wrapped the arm around Draco's shoulders and hugged him tight to his side.

Draco didn't notice; watching his friends with _that_ expression on their faces was horrible. He shrugged closer into the strong arm surrounding him, and found that the shivers fled whenever they touched the scarred boy.

'_Why are they standing there like that?' _Draco asked, hoping the catch in his voice wasn't noticeable. Harry heard, but said nothing.

'_They think you're dead, or close to it.' _Harry said softly, staring at the scene himself with an unreadable expression on his face. He pressed Draco closer unconsciously, some part of him refusing to believe that that might be the case. They stood there for a while longer, watching as the vigil continued.

Draco had to glance away after another moment. The scene was to close to home to be casually regarded, and for some reason he felt faint. But Harry's arm tightened again, and the vague feeling was gone.

A blur of movement from the scene caught his eye, and he glanced back, almost in spite of himself. And then wished he hadn't.

Severus had entered, Neville following closely behind, and was watching the scene before him with a horrified expression. Draco noticed- absently, his concentration was focused on his Godfather almost to the exclusion to all else- that the comfortable lounge the Gryffindor's had introduced him to was now an abandoned classroom with a few overstuffed chairs in the center, forming a ragged circle. _How convenient, _he thought,_ that their Den changes depending upon who is present._

But Severus was yelling at the students, from their vantage a faint tinny sound that made the students shrink back from him, and that Draco was glad he could not hear right now. He and Harry watched in silence as Severus berated the students, especially Pansy and Blaise, for not keeping a better eye on eye on his Godson.

Severus turned from the students in disgust, instead making his way over to the two boys. He stopped and studied them, a frown marring his already lined face. Draco shivered as Severus watched his body, almost feeling the gaze as though he was presently in his body. Somewhere along the line he had accepted Harry's version of events, in as much as he could, that they were now inside of Harry's mind.

Severus reached out to touch the boys, and several different things happened all at once. Draco shrank back against Harry's side, as though he could avoid the touch while away from his body, and was overcome with a cold wave of fear.

'_No! Don't touch me!' _he screamed, turning to Harry and burying his face into the warm cloth of the emerald eyed boys shirt, clutching the material and dragging himself closer, as though he could somehow sink inside the teen. Harry's arms wrapped around him, holding Draco close and somehow penetrating the fog of fear and panic Draco had been thrust into.

In the picture on the wall Hermione screamed out, "_NO!", _but Severus ignored her and set a hand on Harry's shoulder, no doubt to drag him away. Or tried to. One second Severus was apparently holding Harry in his grasp, and the next he was flung clear across the room, lading sprawled on the floor as green lightning played over Harry's still form.

Satisfied that Snape would leave them alone, Harry turned back to the blonde in his arms. Soft tears were leaking out of the tightly closed silver eyes, and Harry's heart wrenched at the sight.

'_Draco,'_ he said, _'Draco, it's alright now.' _There was no response from the blonde other than a tightening of the fists in his shirt, and Harry frowned as he passed a hand over the silky blonde hair.

'_Draco, look at me.' _He waited patiently for Draco to loosen his hold and look at him. But neither happened. Instead Draco stepped fully into Harry's embrace, pressing the length of his body against the taller, more muscular one before him, and started weeping in earnest.

'_Why did he do that, Harry? Why would he touch me?' _Draco's voice was strangled, and Harry's frown deepened. What had happened to this boy that his hold on life was so tenuous a near-miss could almost destroy it? What had been done to him? But Harry left the questions aside as he gathered Draco closer and answered him.

'_I'm sure he just didn't know what would happen. You didn't know yourself until he almost touched you, did you?' _But Harry's words did not make an impression on the blonde, and he pressed his cheek to impossibly soft blonde hair.

'_He shouldn't touch me Harry, he shouldn't. What would have happened if he did?' _Harry had no answer for Draco, and it seemed pointless to try and reason with the Slytherin anyway. So he waited, every now and again glancing to the scene to see what was happening, playing with silky hair as he did so.

When Draco was calm again, Harry leaned back a little and peered down to look into Draco's eyes, smiling gently. _'Alright, Draco?'_

Draco smiled self-consciously and stepped back out of Harry's arms, straightening his clothes as he did so. Harry tried not to feel the pang of loss in his chest when Draco removed himself, and listened to the words the other boy spoke.

'_Yes, thank you.'_ Draco was not looking at Harry, instead studying some far-off thing. _'I wonder what made me loose control like that?' _he asked the Gryffindor, looking to the floor at his feet as Harry thought.

'_Now, don't hurt me because I'm about to go all psychologist on you-' _Harry smiled, inviting Draco to join him, but Muggle jokes were lost on the Prince of Slytherin- _'but I think that something like this- being trapped in your own mind and afraid to come out- would be caused by a severe combination of mental, physical, and emotional trauma.'_ Harry waited to see what the other's response would be, and was surprised by the complete _lack _of a response.

_Something must have happened to him, then, _Harry thought, and pondered that even as he continued to speak. _'And the knowledge that someone else touching you would break the connection between us and therefore leave your spirit free to exit your body must be instinctual. But you must be hurt far worse than I've seen for that to be the case.'_

He fell silent, and startled silver eyes darted up from their perusal of the floor to meet his briefly. _Yes, _Harry thought to himself, _he's hiding something. _But he left it for later.

'_Come on, Draco. I'll take you back now.' _Draco said nothing, merely nodded and waited. That same not-unpleasant tug came again, and when Draco next opened his eyes he was back inside of himself.

But- something was different.

At first Draco couldn't pinpoint the difference, but then he saw it. Saw the shimmers of green floating through the mist, saw erratic flashes and sparks of the same vibrant emerald, and turned to Harry.

'_Why is there green in my mind?' _he asked, not giving Harry a chance to answer before adding, _'The same green as _your_ magic?' _Draco was angry. Very angry. This was- according to Harry, at any rate- _his mind! _And yet bits of Potter were floating through his mist, and he didn't want them there.

But Harry just grinned sheepishly and shoved his hands in his pockets. _'I was fixing this while we were in my mind.' _Draco's prepared tirade died, unvoiced.

'_What were you fixing?' _he asked unsteadily, and Harry frowned.

'_I told you earlier that this was wrong, and while we were off a-traveling, I figured that I should start fixing it.'_ A shrug, then, _'I don't know what's wrong yet, but when I do, I'll fix it completely. For now, however, you're fine.'_

With Harry's last words a strong wind blew through the place they were and cleared most of the mist away. Of course, there were still wisps of the dirty mist flitting from place to place, but the majority of it was gone.

Draco stared around in amazement, and Harry smiled. It felt good to help Draco, he realized, and he wanted to do it more often. Then he sobered up. It was not good to plan on helping him often, Harry knew. The blonde was in need of more help than just about anyone he knew, but was the least likely to admit it.

But as he watched the simple delight Draco displayed in watching the memories and colors and sounds drifting by him, Harry didn't care. He wanted to see Draco like this more often, and he'd be damned if he let any opportunity pass him by.

As he waited for Draco to examine everything in this new version of the place he had been in before, Harry examined some of the memories. A face so similar to Draco's it took his breath away until he realized he was looking at Mrs. Malfoy was displayed on one wall, opening a gift apparently from the grinning child at her feet. Harry smiled. Draco had been a cute kid.

More memories floated by, either on screens or just as randomly passing fragments, and one of the latter caught his eye. And his body flushed with rage. _That arrogant asshole! _he railed silently, _that pompous, disgusting, arrogant jackass!_ But he reigned in his temper and smiled slightly as Draco swung around to him, a brilliant smile lighting the Slytherin's usually closed face with an uncharacteristic joy.

'_Thank you!' _he cried, face splitting into an even bigger smile when Harry nodded in acknowledgement. Draco took a deep breath to calm down, and resumed his bearing. _'T__hank you,' _he repeated more sincerely, and Harry smiled.

'_Any time, Draco. Anytime.' _

For a moment they just looked each other in the eye, but then Harry broke the moment by rubbing his hands together. _'Well, what's the outside world up to?' _he asked, and Draco shrugged.

'_How should I know?' _the blonde replied, and Harry raised a brow.

'_Go over to an empty screen, and tell it what you want to see.' _It was Draco's turn to raise his eyebrow at the simplistic statement, but he shrugged and went over to a blank screen, Harry following. Staring at it, Draco was surprised to see a flash of green flee over the space before a picture formed blurrily.

He cocked his head at Harry in question, and Harry shrugged. _'I guess I'm still supplying your body with my magic,' _he said as if it explained everything. Perhaps it did. But the picture was clearing up, and they sent their attention back to it.

And they both raised their eyebrows, this time.

Dumbledore was sitting in a chair under one of the windows, gazing thoughtfully at the night sky. Harry's brows raised even further. How long had they been like this? Six hours? Ten? But as his eyes located more and more familiar faces, he was astounded. Pomphrey, McGonagall, and Flitwick were there, along with a sour- looking Severus Snape. McGonagall was looking particularly snappish, and Harry suppressed a sigh.

He had hoped his Gryffindor's would behave for their Head of House, but it didn't seem that way. The six students from before were still there, the Slytherins looking more worried than the Gryffindors. Harry snorted. That was probably because they were more used to his stunts than anyone else in that room.

'_Well, Draco, are you ready to go back?' _Harry's question startled the Slytherin out of the reverie he'd been in, and he nodded reluctantly. Harry considered the blonde. Was he… afraid… to leave this place? Was he afraid that his body would be weak and uncomfortable after the long stay in this middle-ground?

Moving closer to the other boy, Harry laid a hand on a skinny shoulder. _'It's alright, Draco.' _He hesitated. What he was about to say could be taken in so many different ways that he hoped Draco understood the right one. He plowed on. _'I'll be there for you until you don't want me there anymore.'_

Draco was silent as he considered Harry's offer. Pledge. Promise. He was scared- terrified- to go back into a world full of pain and hate and fear, and he never wanted to leave this place. But if that feeling originated from an innate desire to hide from the world, or the baser desire to be safe and never hurt again, he didn't know.

Or care.

But according to Harry the mist from before- as welcome and comforting as it had seemed- had been bad for him. Harry's mind had been welcoming, like coming home, and now his own mind was the same, all thanks to Harry. So maybe it was Harry he didn't want to leave…?

'_Promise?' _His voice was small, the merest suggestion of words in the air. It said more than he'd thought it would, though, and Harry's heart clenched at the vulnerability so openly displayed.

'_Swear.'_ The word hung in the air like a omen, a portent of things to come. But they didn't care.

* * *

Harry gasped as the air burned his lungs. But he dismissed the small pain to watch Draco's body anxiously. _Follow me, _he'd told the blonde, _watch how I do it and copy me. _But Draco wasn't here yet, and Harry ignored the sounds coming from around him as the vigilantes realized he was awake.

Harry grinned imperceptibly as he realized his barrier still stood. But the expression faded into worry as another fifteen seconds passed and still Draco showed no signs of moving. Harry stood on his knees before Draco's still form, searching the unmoving body for any sign of life. He put his hands on either side of the Slytherin and moved closer, ready to catch and support Draco when he woke up.

And with a gasp and a cough, the blonde jerked upright. He blinked his eyes continuously, trying to clear his vision, and searched frantically for Harry. The Gryffindor had said he'd be waiting, but Draco couldn't find him!

A soft hand on his knee brought the boys gaze suddenly to the floor at his feet, and he sighed expansively, all of his fears and anxieties disappearing. Not even realizing that they had an attentive and curious audience, Draco slid forward off the edge of the seat and into Harry's waiting arms.

"I'm so tired, Harry," he whispered, his voice a mere shadow of what it used to be. Harry gathered the blonde closer and into his lap, ignoring the startled looks being exchanged across the barrier.

"You're alright now, Draco." The smaller boy sighed deeply at the affirmation of his thoughts and let his head drift forward until it rested on Harry's shoulder. Harry cradled him gently, as gently as if the Malfoy Heir was a priceless gift.

Which he was.

"…don't leave me alone, Harry. I don't want to be alone…"

The plaintive plea tore through Harry at once, and to his surprise he felt tears gather in his eyes. Pressing his lips together to forestall the impulse to kiss the delicate strands of hair, Harry raised one hand and placed it where he would have put his lips.

"Never," he whispered furiously as Draco fitted his head under Harry's hand and fell asleep, "never."

_

* * *

_

Tell me that that wasn't worth the wait… I love this chapter to the extreme extremities of the word, and I hope you all do to. :P

_So- review! Please? And ch4 is in the process of being typed, so don't worry that that one will be as late as this._

_Ta!_

_Netrixie_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Okay, close your eyes and imagine with me. This short, slightly over-weight brunette, with brown eyes and really pale skin. This person lives in America, and is obsessed with Harry Potter, and admits (grudgingly) that A) she does have a problem, and B) no matter how hard she wishes, she's _not _J.K. Get it?

**Warning: **Nothing's changed; it's all still "Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco." Same as before.

**Authours Note: **Mostly filler, some info from the last chapter and a little more from McG. More explanations about Harry's role in Draco's recovery and a little about why Draco is so… damaged, for want of a better word. And by the way- this Plot Bunny bit me again…. YAY!

**Title: **Damaged Goods

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Harry looked up from Draco's hair, and gazed solemnly at the people standing at the edge of his barrier. They returned his stare, and he frowned. With a jerk of his head the invisible wall disappeared and Harry was inundated with questions.

But he said "Stop," shortly, and they froze. His Gryffindors regarded him calmly, wondering what he would want them to do next, and he restrained a smile. They knew him better than anyone, and they weren't about to let some weird act of his deter them from their loyalty.

Giving Neville a small nod of acknowledgement, Harry turned to the Slytherins. They were both pale, and shell-shocked. Harry ignored their questioning gazes- they would have their answers soon enough- and cocked his head to look at the teachers.

Snape was standing just outside of where the barrier had been, a look of supreme displeasure on his face. Harry tightened his grip on Draco unconsciously, reacting to the Potions Masters expression. McGonagall was sitting in a nearby chair, looking for all the world as if she had just been administering a test. Harry flinched when her sharp eyes met his, and he broke the contact quickly. She had still not forgiven them, it seemed.

The Headmaster was a different case entirely. He was sitting in a chair as though he was in his office, not an abandoned classroom waiting for a students actions to be explained. His face was calm, considering, and Harry felt a weight lift off of his shoulders as the older man nodded to him, once. If the Headmaster was behind him, all was well.

Severus was the one who finally broke the silence, and he pinned Harry with a practiced glare. "Potter. What exactly have you done to my student?" Harry glared back equally as well, and lifted a lip slightly.

"Obviously I have done what _you_ could not." Snape sucked in a breath, thrown by Harry's answer. What had the foolish child done…?

But Minerva was taking her turn, and straightened in her chair. "And why did you not contact Madame Pomphrey first?"

Harry barely refrained from snarling at his Head of House. The woman didn't know anything! But he reigned in his temper, and shook his head to clear it. The woman had better get over her anger at the Gryffindors, or Harry was never going to be able to stand her presence again.

"There was no time, and I knew what needed to be done. _Ma'am._" Harry's voice was low and just polite enough to be considered civil, and for a moment Minerva looked shocked. Harry snorted to himself- she deserved it, the grudge-holding old woman.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and eleven heads turned to him. "As nice as this conversation is turning out to be, I do believe we should follow Minerva's advice in part and bring Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing."

Everyone nodded, or shrugged, or somehow showed their agreement, and began gathering their things for the trip to the Infirmary- for no one wanted to miss anything that might happen.

Harry gathered Draco closer into his lap, tightening his grip on the fragile boy, and carefully rising to his feet. Ignoring Snape's black scowl, he lightly shifted his weight, waiting for the others to finish. Changing his hold on the other Seeker, Harry was startled when Draco's hand gripped his shirt. He looked down in surprise, but the slighter boy was still asleep. A tiny twitch of his lips was all the emotion Harry allowed himself to show, and he returned to watching the others.

Severus saw the unconscious reaction, and his frown deepened. What had changed between the two boys that would elicit that sort of response from his sleeping Godson? And how had it happened?

Finally the twelve were ready to go. Dumbledore led the way, and Hermione gestured for Harry to follow the Headmaster. The leader of Gryffindor walked out of the room, and the others fell into step behind them. For the moment, Harry disregarded the quiet conversations playing behind him in favour of watching his charge.

Draco looked rested, peaceful, and Harry's heart clenched as he remembered the blonde's plea to never leave him alone. He never could, now, not after what the Slytherin had been through. Harry studied Draco's face, memorizing the pale flawlessness of the skin and the long creamy lashes resting on high cheekbones. The Slytherin was… something… and Harry was almost afraid to admit that he found the play of light in Draco's hair fascinating.

Harry shifted Draco's weight, and frowned. The other Seeker was light, very light. Almost too light. It was alarming to Harry that he could carry the boy from the third floor to the first with no visible strain.

Harry tore his mind away from his fragile burden and listened to some of the conversations. Dean was talking to Seamus in a low voice, and from what Harry could hear it was about Quidditch. Hermione was silent, as were the teachers, and Pansy and Blaise were speaking about Draco- and what might be wrong with him. Turning his attention to others, he heard the beginnings of a conversation that had started between McGonagall and Neville. Harry could hear the low murmurs of their voices clearly, even as far away as he was, and listened in.

"Would you mind telling me, Mister Longbottom, why you felt the need to prevail upon Professor Snape for assistance in this matter, and not me?"

Neville stared at the Transfiguration teacher in shock for a moment, the question obviously not one he had been expecting. His mouth worked for a moment, then snapped shut. He swallowed, then offered timidly, "Draco is a Slytherin, Ma'am, and therefore technically under the authority of Professor Snape. It just never occurred to me that you would also want to be present."

"Did it also never occur to you that most of the students in that room- yourself included- belong to my House? And that I should be informed of the fact that one of my Seventh Years was performing unauthorized magic immediately? And not an hour after the fact?"

Harry clenched his jaw to keep from turning around and giving his Head of House a piece of his mind. He knew Neville could handle it, and he waited to see what the other boy would say.

And he didn't have to wait long at all.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. I guess the urgency of the situation made me choose the more accomplished Professor, and also the one who was closest."

"But what abo-"

Neville cut her off with a dark glare. "And furthermore, the immediate response of the 'unauthorized magic', as you put it, saved the life of one of the Headmaster's students. Which, I should think, is more pressing than any petty House rivalry."

Minerva stood still for a moment, stunned by the harsh words of the normally timid boy. Harry barely managed to keep a feral grin off of his face at his lion's words, and exchanged glances with the Headmaster. Dumbledore was solemn, and he just arched an eyebrow at Harry's expression. The old man knew he would have to speak with his Deputy, and soon, before she lost control of her House all together.

The silence reigned for a minute more, and Neville blushed as he recalled his own words. But McGonagall cleared her throat and frowned at the sandy-haired boy, and continued the argument.

"I hardly think that your words and the tone in which they were spoken were appropriate considering that you are speaking to a Professor." Dumbledore shook his head- he really did not need the added difficulty of Gryffindor now hating their Head of House.

Neville may have been mildly regretting his words, but his response was sudden and forceful, his words biting. "And I hardly think that _your _words and actions were appropriate, given the circumstances. And you should be grateful that we are merely going to the Infirmary, and not a funeral."

Neville dropped back from McGonagall, and waited until Seamus and Dean had passed before starting to walk again. He fell into step next to Snape, distinctly not looking at the Potions Master, and Minerva found herself suddenly alone.

They continued in such a way for the remainder of the walk, none of the others starting a conversation. The silence was broken when they reached the Hospital Wing, and Hermione darted ahead to warn the Medi-Witch. Minerva was left alone at the door as the others offered to help Poppy, and as Snape passed by his fellow teacher, he smirked slightly, just enough for her to see, and then it was gone. She had the sudden, insane thought that the Death Eater had all of her students under the Imperius, but shook the notion off. _That,_ she would have noticed.

* * *

The students that had followed Harry and Dumbledore took seats on unoccupied beds, or asked Poppy timidly if she needed their help. The Medi-Witch gratefully took Hermione up on her offer, and set her to gathering what she would need. Pansy and Blaise watched as Harry handled their leader as though he were made of glass, and wondered at the change.

The Gryffindors merely waited for Harry to tell them what to do- or Snape. They no longer wanted anything to do with McGonagall, and made that glaringly obvious when they refused to be within three feet of her. Severus was hard pressed to hide his triumphant smirk. Though he really didn't want the added responsibility of taking care of an emotional and often violent pride of lions, the older witch did deserve the shunning.

As Dumbledore and Severus watched, Harry set Draco down gently on the bed Poppy motioned to, and made to let go. But the blonde woke at the perceived loss of contact and reared up, grabbing for Harry's shirt and making it impossible for the Gryffindor to leave. Harry sighed as Snape looked on with unusual curiosity, but shifted the wide-eyed blonde over on the bed and took a seat.

Draco clung to Harry for a moment more, until he had reassured himself that the brunette wasn't going to go anywhere. Slowly loosening his grip, Draco looked around the room, noting the change in scenery and the concerned gaze of not only the Medi-Witch, but also his Godfather. _Did I fall asleep? _he wondered, furrowing his brow at the thought.

But Poppy came up to him then, ignoring Harry as though he was always present. "Hello again, Mr. Malfoy. I see you've been busy."

Draco grimaced at the veiled reminder that he was supposed to be resting when he wasn't in class, but shrugged gracefully. "I have not really been given the opportunity to do otherwise, Poppy. Do forgive me. And please, Draco." He smiled winsomely at the nurse, and she tried to maintain her stern look. But even though he'd been in here more times than she could count in the last three weeks, his charms still worked on her.

"Alright then, Draco. I suppose just this once." Draco grinned at his victory, and let the nurse begin her tests. He ignored Harry for a moment, not wanting to dwell on the fact that he needed the Gryffindor to feel secure.

* * *

Seamus watched from his seat next to Dean as Poppy began testing the blonde Slytherin. The two lost interest quickly, however, when Harry wasn't involved in any way. And besides, they were too busy recalling the last seven hours to pay much attention.

Seamus remembered how Harry had been at breakfast that morning, though it seemed so far away now. Moody, and brooding over something. Then that weird order? To leave Malfoy alone? But they'd gone along with it because this _was_ Harry, and they would all follow him to Hell if he asked it. The meeting with the Slytherins had gone mostly according to plan- well, at least up until Malfoy had passed out. But Seamus wasn't ready to consider that yet. He still hadn't reconciled the scene in his mind.

The meeting was fun- Hermione taking the 'minutes', and the rest hashing out a… treaty, of sorts. At least, that's what they had called it. It was more of an admission of the faults of both parties and the willingness to try harder in the future.

But when Harry had whipped his head around to stare at Malfoy, and asked the blonde what was wrong- everything had changed. It seemed to be an unusually sudden attack of some sort- maybe an allergy? Seamus mulled over that fact for a while, not knowing that Dean was thinking about the same thing.

--

Dean had propped his elbow on his knee when he'd sat, and now he rested his chin in his palm. The Malfoy Heir had become sickly far too suddenly to be normal, and it concerned Dean. _Was it contagious? Would the blonde die? _Those thoughts had swirled through his mind faster than he could think them, but then Harry had stood, and the atmosphere calmed.

Where Harry was, you could count on something getting done. Neville had bolted after Blaise's semi-hysterical order, and Hermione had stared at the scene, horrified. He and Seamus had stared as well, and who knew what they had looked like? It was almost like watching a train wreck- you saw it, and you knew it was going to happen, but you couldn't stop it.

But then Harry had knelt in front of Draco, and time had seemed to halt. But that stupid Parkinson had touched Harry, and almost ruined it. Luckily, Harry's personal wards had been active, and the girl had been graced with a few of Harry's lighter protections. And then Harry had touched Draco's neck, and no one had been prepared for the sight that had met their eyes.

Color had seemed to seep from Harry's fingertips to Malfoy's skin, returning the slightly grey-toned flesh to it's usual alabaster perfection. Dean remembered that both Blaise and Pansy had been shocked still, and smiled. They were not as used to Harry's exploits as the Gryffindors, and while the others of Harry's House could honestly say they've never seen Harry do such a thing before, they knew anything was possible with the Golden Boy. And then neither he nor the Slytherin had moved for hours.

--

It was hard for Neville to think past the anger in his chest directed to McGonagall, but he tried. Getting Snape had seemed the logical choice at the time (and still did), and Neville didn't regret his decision._ But the nerve-! _Neville forced himself to calm down, and thought about when he'd brought Snape into the Den. Luckily, the room's wards recognized the fact that Snape was not authorized, and had changed it's features accordingly.

Snape had been teaching his second years when Neville had stumbled into his classroom, out of breath and panting for air. The man hadn't even waited for Neville to speak- he'd just grabbed vials of potions and had shouted for the students to get out, casting a massive _Evaneso_ over all their cauldrons before running out of the door.

Then they'd run, Snape following Neville at the boys fastest speed. They'd reached the classroom in record time, and Neville remembered the Potion Masters reaction to the scene. Fear, quickly overcome by rage, then anger. He'd turned to the other's, yelling at them for not being careful, but mostly yelling at his Slytherins.

Neville and the others had gathered that whatever was wrong with Draco, Pansy and Blaise had known about it. Soon enough, though, the man had wound down and had turned to face the two frozen students. Neville still remembered Hermione crying out "NO!" as the Professor reached out to touch Harry, and the resultant explosion that had sent the man into the far wall.

It had been a minute or two before Snape had risen again, face alarmingly blank as he walked towards the two boys again. This time, though, he kept his hands to himself and merely studied them. Without turning, he'd said, "Get the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, please." Neville and Seamus left, Pansy and Blaise and Hermione refusing to leave and Dean deciding to stay with his housemate.

After the arrival of the other Professors, the atmosphere in the room had changed. It was calm now, as though the arrival of the Headmaster could make that much of a difference. But nothing had changed for real. Neither of the two boys had moved, and no one wanted to leave.

And when Snape had suggested sending the other students to class, Dumbledore had quelled the uprising by saying, "I have already cancelled classes for the rest of the day, Severus. There really is no need." Neville grinned swiftly at the remembered look on Snape's face, but the grin faded as he also recalled the rest of the time in that room.

Every now and again Dumbledore, McGonagall, or Snape would leave for a while, then come back with news on the rest of the school. Neville sighed in frustration this time, as he remembered the 'talk' with McGonagall in the hallways.

The nerve of that woman! How dare she think that she could have helped Draco any better than Snape could have! What training did she have? What could she have done? From there, Neville's thoughts degenerated into confused and despondent thoughts of his Head of House.

--

Hermione scuttled about, happily helping the Medi-Witch. Finally she had something to do! After seven hours of staring into space wondering if her best friend was going to live, she was happy to be moving and useful. Every now and then Hermione would glance over to take in the expressions on the others faces, and try to see what they were thinking of.

Seamus and Dean were undoubtedly trying to figure out what was wrong with Draco, and Neville was replaying the disagreement with Professor McGonagall. Pansy was looking at Harry and Draco bemusedly, no doubt wondering at their obvious connection, and Blaise was doing what Hermione was doing. Their gazes met, and Hermione gave him a little supportive smile before turning to Professor Snape.

He seemed to have gotten over his shock at seeing Draco clinging to Harry, as he was watching both boys with no expression on his face. Hermione couldn't even begin to wonder what was going on in his mind, and the same went for the Headmaster. The older man was sitting in a chair, watching Poppy calmly as she scanned the Slytherin, and allowing none of his thoughts to cross his face.

Professor McGonagall was watching everyone like they had all joined Voldemort and she was the only Order member left. Hermione suppressed her snort, and glanced away quickly. She didn't know what was wrong with the older woman, but she'd better get her act together before the entirety of Gryffindor House renounced her.

Hermione finally turned her gaze to the two boys holding most of the attention in the room, and pondered their situation. Draco was leaning against Harry, unconsciously, Hermione guessed, but otherwise ignored the Gryffindor's presence. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to be hyper-aware of Draco. His emerald eyes tracked Draco's every move, and when he wasn't watching Draco, he was following Poppy with his eyes.

Hermione frowned, wondering. Harry seemed to be trying to protect Draco, but there was nothing in this room that could hurt him, and certainly no one would who would want to test Harry's patience. So what could be causing such a reaction? Unless Harry knew why Draco was so weak?

Poppy finally stepped back from her examinations of the blonde and frowned. "There's nothing wrong with you." She pronounced, her voice confused. Draco face proclaimed his own confusion, and Hermione noted that he instinctively turned to Harry for an answer. But the Gryffindor just shrugged, his head cocked, thinking.

"Well that makes no sense_**.**_" Severus snapped, uncrossing his arms from his chest and striding over to Poppy, "Are you sure you tested him correctly?"

Poppy frowned at the Potions Master, and said testily, "Of course I am. I _am_ the schools resident Medi-Witch, you know. I was trained for things like this." As one, both adults turned to look back at Draco, studying him with their eyes as though they could figure out what was wrong with him that way.

Draco's own eyes widened at the sudden close-up inspections of his body, and shrank back against Harry. The brunette wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulder, and glared at the offenders. "Please, stop," he said, his voice rough from disuse. He made as if to go on, but Snape cut him off.

"What could you know, boy?" The Potions Master asked, his plan of getting Harry to protect Draco lost in the far reaches of his mind as the more pressing matter of Draco's life came into play. His voice was sharp, perfectly tuned to send fear into a Gryffindors heart. But Draco shrank back instead, hiding his face in Harry's shirt, and as Harry cuddled him closer Severus stared in disbelief and contrition.

"What I know is that you should be comforting your student, and not yelling at me."

* * *

Draco sat through the testing calmly. After all, it was nothing more than he'd already done at one point or another in his life. But when Poppy said that nothing was wrong with him, Draco was stunned. _What? That cannot be possible!_ He'd turned to Harry for an answer, but the Gryffindor just shook his head as he thought.

Draco let the conversation slide on around him, smiling a little as he heard his Godfather ask Poppy if she knew what she was doing. But abruptly, two eyes were pinning him to his seat and he couldn't take it. Draco froze, startled and suddenly afraid of these two allies. Some part of his mind wondered why such a small matter as two people looking at him should crumble his carefully built defenses, but he couldn't answer that question, nor did he care to at the moment.

He moved back against Harry suddenly, trying to hide from those searching, prying eyes. He didn't wonder at the compulsion, he didn't care that he was wrapped in Harry Potter's arm, all he cared about was_ getting those eyes off of him!_

Harry seemed to understand, for he tried to stand up to the two faculty members. But his Godfathers reply to Harry's protecting words threw Draco again- smashing the last of his shields. His Godfather should not sound like that! No- his Godfather was a kind man whose words could send Draco to sleep, not tear his soul to shreds! This mockery of his caring Godfather needed to leave, to stop pretending to be Severus Snape!

Draco hardly felt Harry pull him closer to the other Seekers body, but he sought out the contact, craved it. Putting his face against the warm, soft cloth of the other boys shirt, Draco strove to hide from everyone. _This _man, this boy, was true. He didn't pretend, he didn't lie. He was exactly who he said he was, and no one could change him. He was strong, protective, and now no one could hurt Draco, because he was in Harry's arms.

* * *

Albus ran a spindly hand over his eyes, rubbing the tiredness out of them. It had been a long day already, and promised to be longer. He dropped the hand and regarded the occupants of his office. Severus sat primly in the chair furthest from Harry, expression distant and cold. Albus had to stifle a chuckle at that- his Potions Master could not for the life of him figure out why Draco had chosen Harry over his Godfather.

But Harry was sitting- or rather, curled up like a giant cat- in the chair closest to the Headmasters desk. His eyes were also distant, and Dumbledore knew the boy was thinking about the young Malfoy. Theirs was a strange relationship, and Albus had every intention of getting the details out of Harry later. For now, though, they had other matters to attend to.

The last occupant of the Headmaster's office was Poppy, and she was sitting in the chair between the other two, and looking none to happy with the arrangement. Albus knew she would rather be with her patient, but Draco had quietly asked Harry for a sleeping draught earlier, and would be unconscious for hours yet.

The other students had been sent to dinner with the explicit order to tell no one what they had seen today. The last thing this school needed was another debacle with Potter and Malfoy at it's center. The Headmaster halted his thoughts and began the meeting.

"Poppy, would you please tell us what you found in Mr. Malfoy?" The Medi-Witch shook her head, exasperated. They knew what she had to say, but-

"There is no physical evidence of anything having gone wrong in Draco's body, Headmaster. I've scanned him three times to make sure, and each time the result was the same."

As Dumbledore, Snape, and Poppy processed the information again, Harry wondered why he felt left out. Why would they continue to disbelieve Draco's clean bill of health? But then the memory of what he had seen inside of Draco's mind flashed through him, and Harry could hardly believe the thought. _They knew? They knew all this time and no one did anything? _The conversation flowed on around him as he struggled to reconcile the facts. Yet after a moment, it was the only answer that made sense.

"-rry? Harry?" He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize Dumbledore was calling for his attention, and he snapped back to the conversation.

"Yes, Professor?" His voice was shaky- his firm control over his magic slipping the tiniest bit. Harry ignored Snape's amused look, and focused on the white-haired man.

"I asked you if you would mind telling us what happened in the classroom?" Albus' kind blue eyes twinkled at Harry, and the boy had the sudden thought that the Headmaster knew _exactly_ what Harry had done.

But he shrugged, and replied, "If you would answer a question for me, sure." Harry waited as Dumbledore mulled over his response, obviously wondering what he could be wanting the answer to.

"Of course, my dear boy. What can I help you with?"

Harry smiled, and it was a cold one. "How long has Draco's father been beating him?" The very air seemed to have been sucked from the room, and Harry's tiny smile twisted as he added, "And why did no one stop it?"

And he waited for his answer.

_

* * *

_

_How had he known? What happened in that room? _Severus' thoughts were many, and he struggled to order them. Yet the questions from the Golden Boy were too sudden, too unexpected. Harry leaned back in his chair, apparently at his ease among the tense and quiet adults. Severus watched as Albus sat back in his chair, and regarded the student calmly.

"I presume that Draco told you?" The Headmaster's voice was quiet, yet Severus went nearly faint at the words. Good- the Headmaster wasn't going to pretend to not know what Harry was talking about, or ask the boy how he could think such a thing. At least he had given Harry the dignity of having his questions answered, and not shoved to the side. Lord only knew what would happen if Harry were to be pissed off after what he'd been through today.

Harry shifted in his seat, a fact Severus noticed right away, along with his faintly embarrassed voice. "Not exactly." he said. "From where we were and what was going on, I sort of intuited it."

His response perked the interest of those in the office. _Where had they been, and what had Harry seen?_ Dumbledore asked the questions for them all.

"Where were you? And what was going on that you could know such a thing?"

Harry hesitated, then shrugged. "I don't know if Draco would want me to tell you." His simple answer halted the conversation abruptly, and Severus and Albus looked at each other.

"Well," Albus began slowly, moving his startled gaze from Severus to Harry, "When Mr. Malfoy wakes, would you find that out for us? We would like to know what happened, and if it can be duplicated later on, in the event of another such incident."

Harry nodded, and uncurled his legs from the seat, clasping his hands between his knees and gazing at his Headmaster. "Will you tell me why Lucius beat Draco?"

Dumbledore looked to Severus, and Harry followed the older mans glance. Severus sighed, and caught the Gryffindor's eye. "Lucius always had a violent temper, ever since I can remember. But I never knew he beat Draco until late this summer, when I received a fire call from Narcissa Malfoy."

Harry listened intently, plans for the assassination of Lucius Malfoy already forming in the back of his mind.

"She was hysterical, hardly making sense, and I kept begging her to slow down. When I finally realized what she was saying, I couldn't believe it. She said, 'Come quickly, Severus! Lucius is beating Draco, and this time he's going to far!' I left for Malfoy Manor as soon as I could, and I found Draco in the courtyard. He passed out as I caught him, and the blood was everywhere. I was sure he was dead."

Severus paused in his narration, and swallowed. "I brought him to the Hogwarts Infirmary, and he's been here ever since. And that was two weeks ago."

Harry absorbed the information, and a thought came to him. "If I may ask, sir, why did Mrs. Malfoy call you?"

Severus snorted, and Harry's eyebrow shot up. "I am Draco's Godfather, Potter. Surely you knew that?"

"Uh, no sir. Actually, I didn't." Severus gave a short laugh, and Harry smiled for a second. The tension in the room broke, and Harry stood. "Thank you for answering my questions," he said, nodding to the Headmaster and Severus and even Poppy, "but I think I'll leave now."

Dumbledore cocked his head, and inquired gently, "Where will you go, Harry?" The brunette paused next to the door and looked over his shoulder.

"I guess I'll go check on Draco."

The sound of the door clicking shut echoed through the office after Harry's words, and the three left looked at each other in puzzlement. _What exactly was the nature of the two enemies relationship?_

* * *

Harry perched on the end of Draco's bed in the dark Hospital Wing. It was empty but for himself and Draco, and he wondered at that briefly. But Harry shook the thought from his mind- so no student had gotten hurt today, big deal.

Harry snorted. _'Draco's bed.'_ The amount of times he himself had been in this same bed would classify the bed as his own, not Draco's, but he could hardly care. And that worried him. How could he have given up so much of his control? And over _Malfoy? _And yet his own mind rebelled at naming Draco after his father- _the stupid, arrogant jackass-_ and Harry sighed.

Life would be so much easier if Draco weren't in it, that he could freely admit. But he wanted Draco in it- wanted the blonde in his life. And it confused the hell out of Harry. Why should he care? What had Draco done to deserve to be a part of Harry's life? The blonde had tortured Harry and his friends for years, offering no mercy for anyone, and yet suddenly, the first day of class in their seventh year, and the rival Houses were working on repairing the damage.

It made no sense to Harry, and he was frustrated. He must have made a noise, or something, for a moment later Draco's pale lashes fluttered open and sleepy silver eyes peered out at Harry. Harry's heart stuttered when those eyes pinned him, and he barely managed a smile.

"Hello, Draco. Have a nice nap?" Harry's voice could have been sarcastic- the words definitely warranted it- but instead his tone was calm and soft.

Draco smiled slightly and Harry's widened in response. "It was fine, I guess." Draco shifted in the bed, rolling over onto his side and curling up, watching Harry. A wide yawn spilt the Slytherin's face, and he lazily reached a hand up to cover his mouth. Harry choked back a chuckle at this new, unguarded Draco, and waited for the yawn to pass.

There was silence for a moment, but it was comfortable. Neither felt the need to talk, and there was no pressing urge for them to be anywhere. It was, after all, nearly one o'clock in the morning. Draco was just contemplating going back to sleep when Harry shifted on the end of the bed. The blonde gazed at the Gryffindor in question, and Harry shrugged.

"The teachers are going to be all over me in the morning." Draco chuckled softly at both Harry's tone and the image the words provoked, and Harry laughed with him.

"Why? What did you do to them?"

"Nothing!" Harry defended, and Draco arched and eyebrow.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe." Draco smirked, and Harry groaned.

"All right. They want to know what went on in the classroom between us, and I told them I'd rather wait until you woke up."

"Great. Use me as your excuse." Draco said grumpily, but Harry knew he didn't mean it.

"Fine. I will." They smiled in perfect accord, and silence fell again. Harry studied his hands, wondering what else they could do, if they could save Draco's life. He looked up from his hands, though, when he felt someone watching him, and smiled unsurely at the blonde.

Draco sat up suddenly and gathered Harry's attention. "Did you mean it?" he asked, his voice low and nervous, "in that place, did you mean what you said?"

Harry stared, nonplussed. _Where had that come from?_ But he met Draco's eyes openly, and nodded. "Yes. I did."

"Why?" Draco asked, and Harry looked away from those gleaming silver eyes. He didn't know why he'd done it, why he'd said what he had. But it had felt right- still felt right, in fact- and he shrugged helplessly in answer.

"I don't know," he said simply, "I don't know."

Draco stared at the brunette. If Harry hadn't had a reason- or wouldn't admit to it- why had he done it? The blonde thought over everything that had happened to him that day, from the meeting in the Potions classroom to the meeting in the Den, and their meeting in the other place. Now- in his rational mind- Draco refused to believe he had been standing inside his own mind, or Harry's. He even went over waking up in the Hospital Wing, being set down… by… Harry…

The Slytherin flushed, then paled, and Harry leaned forward to grab Draco's hand. "Draco?" he asked hurriedly, "are you okay?"

Draco's eyes were wide when he looked at Harry, and he said in a shocked voice, "O My God. Did I lose control in front of _everyone?_" Harry could only nod at the question, and Draco fell back against his pillows. "Oh that is not good."

Harry reached out a hand and touched Draco's knee through the sheet, and squeezed. "You shouldn't worry about it, Draco. Everyone there knew that you were not in the best of shape."

"How did 'everyone there' know?" Draco asked suspiciously, and Harry suddenly found the ceiling very interesting. "Harry." Draco said, his voice alarmingly neutral, and Harry sighed as he gave up his inspection of the roof.

"Um, Hermione figured it out this morning… and she told everyone that we'd better be careful around you because you're not as strong as you once were." Harry said in a rush, and Draco cursed softly.

"Well," the Slytherin said after a moment, "I guess there's nothing I can do about it now." Harry only nodded, and stayed silent.

Time passed as the two boys thought, and the silence in the room deepened. Draco curled back up on his side, and stared out the window across the ward. Harry stared above the headboard at nothing, one leg outstretched on the bed, and the other drawn up against his chest.

Though their friendship had just been born, Draco instinctually knew that he didn't have to worry about Harry, or what the brunette would do. Draco knew Harry would be there for him until he sent the Gryffindor away, though he had no intention of doing such a thing. Instead, Draco let the slight motion of the bed from Harry's breathing lull him into a light drowse.

Harry realized with a start that Draco had drifted off. He gazed out the window, wondering at the pinpricks of attraction he felt for the Slytherin. But he sighed as he let go of his leg and shifted his weight to stand. Draco stirred in his sleep, and Harry stilled as he turned to face the sleepily blinking blonde.

"What's wrong, Draco?" Harry whispered, and Draco frowned lightly.

"Where are you going?" the blonde asked, eyes falling shut as he snuggled into the pillow. Harry stared at the Slytherin, eyes wide at the sight before him. He knew that the Infirmary dress code was a crappy pair of cotton pants and a matching shirt, but somewhere along the line Draco had discarded the top. And now, with the blanket down around his waist, Harry could see everything.

Every bone, rib, and angle, rather. Harry's body flushed with rage after a moment, his mind slow in processing what the sight might mean. But even as he catalogued the damage Harry shrugged in response to Draco question.

"Back to the Tower, I guess," he said, and Draco opened his eyes. Lifting a hand from the cocoon of blankets wrapped around him, Draco reached it out to Harry. The Gryffindor took it hesitantly, wondering what Draco wanted. Draco laced his fingers through Harry's and brought the captured hand to his torso. Harry leaned forward as his hand was pulled, and Draco watched him, clear silver eyes calm.

"Oh." Draco said softly, tilting his head on the pillow and regarding Harry. "You can't stay?"

Harry's body flushed again, but not from rage this time. No- not rage. Harry's eyes darted around the room, but finally settled on the frail form of the blonde again. "Um- I guess I can," Harry said after a moment, "if you wanted me to."

Draco smiled slightly, and shifted on the bed. Moving closer to the edge, he tucked his hand- and Harry's- under his chest as he made room for the bigger boy. "Good." Draco said, voice becoming muffled as sleep raced to claim him again, "Stay."

Harry was frozen as the meaning of Draco's actions became clear. Making sure that his captive hand never moved, Harry inched up to sit next to Draco in the space the blonde had made. He twisted his body so that he could get in a comfortable position, but with Draco sleeping on his hand he really only had one option, and he tried to not touch the boy. But Draco scooted back, and Harry froze once again as more of his body than he'd ever dreamed was pressed against the sleeping Slytherin.

It was a while before Harry could breath easily, knowing that Draco trusted him enough to let down his guard here in the real world. He might have done it before when they had been trapped inside their minds, but now, Harry really didn't know what to think. And Draco was sleeping, and in no position to answer any of his questions.

As sleep finally came to drag Harry's unwilling mind into it's depths, his body relaxed further. He curled around Draco, unconsciously tucking the pale blonde head under his chin and tightening his grip on the still body pressed against his front. Draco hummed in contentment, twisting his own body in his sleep until he was comfortable once more.

Neither boy moved for the duration of the night, and when Poppy came in to check on the blonde at a quarter to four, she was beyond startled. But when she saw the peace on Draco's face- a peace brought about by a sleep conceived by his body and not a potion- she bit her lip, and ignored Harry.

Raising her wand to cast diagnostic spells, Poppy started as luminous green eyes pinned her in place. In the dim light of the nighttime Infirmary they shone as a cat's would, and watched her every move. Catching her breath, Poppy nodded once to Harry as she began to cast her spells. Even when she wasn't actively aware of Harry's eyes, she could feel them following her every move, and she took great care in her work.

The spells reported that all was well within the youngest Malfoy's body, and that- surprisingly- Draco was in better condition right now than he had been all summer. Poppy cast a spell that would catch the light sounds of her patients breath, and her brows shot up in surprise. There were no abnormalities- the blondes breaths were the even and slow sounds of a deep sleep. Exactly as they should be. There was no sign of the mild case of the sleep apnea(1) that had plagued the teen since the violent beating by his father.

Poppy glanced at Harry swiftly, wondering if he had had anything to do with this. But the brunette only watched her, not offering any explanation for her findings. Poppy bit her lip again (a bad habit she really needed to break), and continued casting her spells. There was no conclusive proof that Draco had been cured of his disease, and she didn't want to test the ever-watchful Gryffindor's patience.

Finally done, Poppy raised her head to survey her charge once more, though she had a heavy feeling that Draco Lucius Malfoy would never be her charge again. Harry would take too great a care of him. Shaking her head to clear such thoughts from her mind, Poppy put her wand away and walked out of the ward, shoulders tense and spine stiff as Harry's eyes tracked her progress.

It was with a feeling of intense relief that she shut the door and resealed the wards behind her, as though she had survived an encounter with Voldemort. Pressing her back to the door, she sucked in a huge, wavering breath. _No need to worry about Draco needing protection, _she told herself, _if Harry is protecting him and he was ready to hurt me for possibly waking Mr. Malfoy up, then the Slytherin is in good hands._

With a lighter heart Poppy turned to her bed and slipped back inside of it, knowing that her most frequent patient was going to be taking care of her most precious one. And if Harry had been admitted to the Hospital Wing more times than was his share, it was because he was always protecting those he loved.

And who was Poppy to stand in his way?

_

* * *

_

(1) Sleep apnea- a breathing disorder/disease thing. Basically- you stop breathing while you sleep.

_Oooh- cryptic ending!! Yay! LOL- I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, and if any of you are wondering about my writing style, please read any and all of the works of Robin McKinley. Esp. 'Sunshine', 'Spindle's End', and both 'Hero and the Crown', and its sequel, 'The Blue Sword.'_

_This lady has influenced my writing style in so many ways- the main being mostly descriptives and thoughts rather than all dialogue, and you should read her things anyway. They're all amazing._

_But be warned- she does NOT allow FanFiction, so don't make that mistake._

_If you want to ask me about her stuff, maybe recommend a few things, no problem. I'd be more than happy to help._

_And the next chapter is plotted and planned- I just need to type it. So- see you all soon!_

_Netrixie_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **And once again, say it with me:_ I am not JK Rowling:_ Got it, you people? Sheesh, what does a poor (literally) FanFiction (doesn't belong to me!) authour (writes hopefully interesting plots) have to do to get readers to realize she's NOT JK Rowling in disguise (however much she might wish JK believed in Drarry)?

**Warning: **Nothing's changed; it's all still "Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco." Same as before.

**Authours Note: **Hehehehehe- I know a lot of you said you read Robin McKinley's things, right? So, a challenge. Go and read '_The Blue Sword'_, and tell me what's odd about Colonel Jack Dedham's geldings name and the Heroine's name. Hint- it's near the end, and you'll _DIE!! _LOL- makes you wonder where JK got the names from, hey? :winkwinknudgenudge:

**Title: **Damaged Goods

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Harry came awake suddenly as the sun rose, and looked around as his body stayed still. The familiar sight of the Hospital Wing met his eyes, and as he registered where he was and why he was here, he became aware of a warmth pressing against his front. Harry stared at the silvery-blonde hair for a moment, refusing to believe that his dream had actually been reality.

But with Draco's distinctive hair right under his nose, Harry couldn't deny the truth. He gingerly disentangled himself from the sleeping blonde, freezing as the Slytherin shifted and sighed in his sleep. Slowly, Harry finished disentangling himself from Draco, and eased out of the bed. It was with relief that Harry managed to maneuver things so that the other teen didn't wake, and he heaved a silent sigh as he stood beside the bed.

Glancing down at his body and grimacing as he realized he'd slept in his clothes, Harry cast numerous spells on himself. Spells to clean his hair and teeth, a spell to wash his body, a spell to change his clothes and another to Summon a pair of trainers. With a final spell to call his schoolbag from the Tower, Harry stretched a hand out and Summoned a chair from across the room.

Here where no one was watching he could use his magic as he willed- without the handicap of his wand. He loved the familiar feel of the holly in his hand, but he'd realized early on in his fifth year that relying on it would only hold him back. Harry let his magic run through his body for a moment, relaxing as he did so.

The Infirmary was the only place he could safely remove his personal wards, as the wards of the Hospital Wing were designed to keep random bursts of magic from destroying the school. Harry opened his eyes and looked at Draco through his magic, wondering for a moment if he would be able to see what was wrong with the Slytherin. But as he searched nothing appeared to be out of place, and Harry released the magic from his eyes.

Harry recalled his magic to its usual bindings, and settled into wait for Draco to wake up.

* * *

Draco shifted as his eyes opened blearily, and sighed as he realized he wasn't going to be able to sleep any longer. He took in the Hospital Wing, eyes not immediately noticing Potter sitting in the chair next to his bed, and rolled onto his back. He didn't want to move- he wanted to be able to close his eyes and slip back into the dream he had been having.

But even as Draco admitted he would not be able to go back to sleep, he was wondering where the warmth at his back had gone to. Staring at the ceiling in the haze of the just-awake, he saw someone shift to his left. Glancing over, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Harry Potter sitting next to his bed, looking for all the world as if he had a right to be there.

"Good morning, Draco." Harry said quietly, and Draco rolled back over onto his side. He stared at Harry for a minute, contemplating the Gryffindor before responding.

"You moved." He didn't say it accusingly, but simply as a statement of fact. Now that he was awake enough to remember last night, he wanted to see Harry's reaction. The dark-haired teen blushed lightly, and shrugged.

"I thought you would want me to be out when the teachers came in."

Draco raised an eyebrow at the statement, and sat up. He noticed distantly that Harry's eyes stayed firmly fixed on his face, and swung the blankets off of his body. As he slid off the edge of the bed he stumbled slightly, but before he could do anything else warm arms were surrounding him and holding him steady.

Draco looked up into concerned green eyes, holding onto the strong arms as his heart calmed. "Thanks," he said a bit breathlessly, "I guess I wasn't quite ready for that yet." Harry chuckled as he set Draco straight on his own feet, and the blonde felt it vibrate through his chest.

"It's not a problem, Draco. I'm here to help, after all." Harry waited until the Slytherin was ready to try his balance again before letting go, and stood back as Draco glanced down at himself and grimaced. Harry chuckled at the other teen's expression, instantly realizing why Draco's face had taken on such a cast. The blonde glared at Harry as the Gryffindor continued chuckling, and propped his hands on his hips.

Looking around the room, Draco pursed his lips as he couldn't find what he was looking for. Finally, annoyed by the amused brunette, he snapped, "What are you laughing at, you Gryffindor barbarian?" Harry stopped at the words, for a moment stunned at the return to Ferret-Malfoy, but hid his smile as the slighter boy continued.

"You're so high and mighty these days, Potter, so make yourself useful. I need _clothing_, not these… _rags_…" Draco spat, ignoring the highly amused teen watching him- "and my school things." He waited for a minute, then arrogantly snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face.

"Now, Potter," he added, annoyed as the Gryffindor Golden Boy lost the battle to hide his grin. Harry stood and swept a mocking bow. When he straightened he held a hand towards Draco's bed, and- with a look of intense concentration- gestured. With a bright flash the bed was covered, and Draco's face incredulous.

Harry smirked- an expression that was decidedly odd on his face- and sat back in his chair as Draco hesitantly began to shift through the pile. Slowly a look of awe and pleasure overcame the blonde, and he turned back to Harry, eyes shining.

"I was merely playing with you, Harry," Draco said, arms full of clothing and a brilliant smile on his face. "I didn't think you would actually do it." Harry smiled as Draco implied that he knew Harry _could _do such a thing, and shrugged. But Draco wasn't done, and Harry listened carefully. "Thank you!" the blonde said with a winning smile, "and you have perfect taste!"

He disappeared into the bathroom before Harry could respond, and left the brunette alone with a bemused cast to his face. Harry shook his head, slightly confused, but accepted it. Obviously this was what the Malfoy was like when one was friends with him, and Harry just had to get used to the demanding and petty teen. He smiled again, and waited for Draco to reemerge. At least he knew what to expect now.

* * *

Draco posed in front of the mirror, pondering his outfit. The shirt fit like a second skin, as did the pants, but he wasn't sure he wanted to wear them. He peered closer at his reflection, and grimaced at the imaginary pudge he was seeing. _I am fine! I do not need to impress Harry! Merlin- I could wear a burlap sack and he wouldn't say anything, the fashion- barbarian._

But Draco still shifted and fidgeted in his clothing, trying to make his clothes sit right. Finally he was satisfied, and sneered at the school robe hung on the back of the door. Deciding to put it on later, Draco took one last look at his outfit. The silky button up clung to him attractively, tucked neatly into the tops of his trousers, showing him off as best as it could. The Slytherin tie hung loose around his neck- Draco hated tying the damn thing and always left it off for the last minute.

His trousers were a deep black, and felt wonderful against Draco's legs. Cut in a Muggle style they accentuated his tiny waist and lean hips, and cupped his arse like a long lost lover. Draco smiled as he thought that, gathering up the evidence of his having been in the bathroom. One would think Harry wanted to see him in this outfit, given that it had been the one he had Summoned for Draco.

The Slytherin stilled at the thought, eyes wide as he glanced into the mirror suddenly. Did Harry want-? No. Surely not. Draco finished his cleaning mechanically, mind spinning around this idea. Harry Potter _wanting _him? A ludicrous idea, to be sure. But… was it possible? Is that why the boy stayed in the bed with Draco? Is it why Harry's eyes stayed on his face this morning?

Is it why the Gryffindor had Called- out of all the things in his closet- for this outfit? Draco shook his head abruptly as he realized he had been motionless for a minute, and opened the door as he made his decision. As Harry glanced up with a welcoming smile, though, his resolve crumbled. Draco returned the smile, and shoved his internal arguments to the side.

He'd deal with this as it happened.

* * *

Harry shifted in his seat, sighing as he waited for Draco to emerge from the bathroom. It had been nearly half-an-hour, and there was no sign that the blonde was going to make an appearance any time soon. But he stayed still, knowing there was still almost as hour till breakfast, and waited.

Finally the Slytherin left the bathroom, and Harry smiled in welcome, a gesture that was returned. But as Draco began to put his things away, Harry bit his lip and dragged his eyes from the enticing form of Draco Malfoy. The outfit was positively _obscene_, but it suited the Ice Prince of Slytherin to a 'T'. When Harry had mentally searched through Draco's closets, he had chosen this outfit for the coloring and the material.

But to see it on the blonde… Harry swallowed hard, and looked away. He needed to get his bearings back, and heaven help him if Draco noticed anything different.

Draco finished what he was doing, and turned back to Harry. His Infirmary-issued night clothes were neatly folded at the end of the bed, next to his school robe and bag. Draco took a seat on the edge of the be facing Harry's chair, lost in thought.

There was silence in the Infirmary as the two teens were lost in their thoughts, and when Poppy came in ten minutes later they were still in those positions, thinking. She sucked in a breath as emerald eyes pinned her, vividly remembering last night, and paused until the battle-ready edge had dimmed and the eyes had released her before moving forward.

Draco was oblivious to the interaction between the other two, and merely nodded in greeting to the Medi-Witch. "Good morning, Madame." He said, shifting so he could face her. "And now may I leave?"

Poppy chuckled at his query, shaking her head as she did so. "No, Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid not. You know the routine, and I have to make sure you are fit before I unleash you on the rest of the school." Draco grumbled under his breath at the wording, but consented to the diagnostic spells without a murmur. He understood, all too well, why she was so thorough.

Harry watched the proceedings with undisguised interest, fascinated by the spells Poppy used and their end result. After another ten minutes the nurse stepped back, and smiled. "All good, Mr. Malfoy. You may go."

"Thank you," Draco breathed, grabbing his stuff and hopping off the bed. Turning to Harry- who still sat in his chair- he frowned. "Coming?" he asked archly, ignoring Poppy's interested eye.

Harry glanced up, surprised by the question, and shrugged. "If you want me to," he answered, and Draco huffed a sigh.

"Honestly, Potter," he breathed, glancing up at the ceiling in an apparent bid for patience, "Let's _go_." He grabbed Harry's arm and dragged the Gryffindor to the door, adding, "_Before_ she thinks of another spell to torture me with." Poppy laughed, and as the door slammed behind the teens she shook her head at their tomfoolery.

She might not understand how their relationship had changed so drastically, but as far as she was concerned, it was all for the better.

* * *

The walk to the Great Hall was tense, as neither knew what to say. Finally Draco broke the silence, turning to Harry and demanding, "How on earth did you manage to Summon my things?" Harry thought on the question, walking a few more steps before answering. Draco, waited, patient, knowing instinctively that he should not rush the Gryffindor.

Harry mulled the question over, wondering how to answer. Not even Hermione truly understood his magic, and she had been around him for seven years. At least she was accustomed to it's presence, and the fact that it sometimes forced Harry to do things. But to explain it to Draco? Who he had- really- just met? Explain the thing that Harry himself didn't truly understand, and that controlled his life in so many ways?

Should he? Would it be worth it? And more importantly- what would Draco do with the information? Not that Harry actually thought the Slytherin would go to the Dark Lord with the knowledge of how to defeat his teenaged enemy, but their friendship was still so new…

"I can do many things," Harry began slowly, carefully choosing each word as Draco listened. "because my magic is so strong. For instance, I can tell when it is going to rain, or I can make it rain." Draco raised a brow, and Harry grinned at him, a strained one, to be sure.

"I know certain things because my magic has the ability to affect it, and I can affect certain things because my magic demands it." Harry bit his lip as he tried to explain the unfathomable to his companion. Draco kept pace with Harry, wanting to hear what the teen could do. "Because my magic is so strong, I can sometimes ignore the basic principles and make my will the driving force behind my magic, instead of letting pre-approved practices dictate how I use it." Harry glanced at Draco, unutterably relieved to see the blonde nodding in understanding. It was hard enough when he had to explain one action to someone, but to explain it all… he continued.

"So I was able to Summon all of that for you because I wanted to help you. And my magic understood my intent, and made it possible." Draco raised an aristocratic eyebrow, and pondered what those words might mean. Harry lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, and they continued on like that until they were at the doors to the Great Hall.

Draco put a hand on Harry's arm, stopping the Gryffindor as he was about to hail his friends, and cocked his head as he stared into emerald eyes. "So because you wanted to please me, you did as I told you and Summoned me what I needed." Harry met the Slytherin's eyes openly, wondering what was going on. Something more was happening, something different…

"That's not what I said…" he trailed off as Draco's other eyebrow inched into his hairline, and the blonde tightened his hand as Harry looked away.

"But it is what you meant," Draco realized, and waited until Harry glanced back before smiling. "Thank you." He said sincerely, and sucked in a sharp breath as Harry returned the gesture, stunned as the Gryffindor hitched his bag higher onto his shoulder.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Harry entered the Great Hall with a lighter heart than he had ever remembered having, and smiled happily at Hermione as he sat beside her. "Good morning, love!" he exclaimed, dropping a kiss on her cheek as he reached past her to grab a biscuit.

Hermione smiled at him, unsure of why he was in such a good mood but willing to go along with it. "Good morning yourself, Harry. Where'd you disappear to last night?"

Harry grinned mischievously, and winked at her lecherously. "That's for me to know and you to find out, missy." Seamus laughed as he took the seat across from them, nodding a good morning to Neville as he did so.

"What a fine morning, wouldn't you say?" Dean asked as he plopped next to Seamus, wrapping his arms around the Irishman and planting a heated kiss on his lips. Pulling back and ignoring his tables good-natured ribs, he added huskily as Seamus blushed, "I think it is."

Harry waved a piece of toast at the two as Hermione chuckled at them, swallowing before declaring, "Disgusting, Dean! Not at breakfast, we agreed! You promised!" Harry gave them a piteous look, eyes wide and soulful, adding mournfully, "Not all of us have found the love of our lives you know." He paused as Dean and Seamus- along with the rest of the Table, actually- waited for the punch line. "Or a sex life at all, now that I think on it."

The Table shouted with laughter, drawing the attention of the rest of the Hall as the merriment went on. For a while there was a general feel of light-hearted enjoyment in the air, the fact that classes followed immediately after breakfast doing nothing to dampen their spirits.

* * *

Draco sat between Crabbe and Goyle, across from Pansy and Blaise, and thought longingly of his Gryffindor. None of his friends had left him alone since he sat, wanting to know 'what happened to you?' and 'are you alright?' and if there would be a relapse. The Gryffindors, however, just ignored the fact that their Golden Boy had disappeared for a night, and went on with their normal routine

Severus kept sending Draco piercing glances as the teen ignored his friends, no doubt wondering if Draco still hated him. The blonde blushed furiously at the reminder of his break-down, and kept his head pointed firmly away from his Godfather. The last thing he needed was to deal with Severus, Pansy and Blaise. Besides which, the older man would probably make him stay after Potions to discuss matters.

A chilling silence settled over Gryffindor Table, and the entire Hall glanced up as one, wondering what had happened. But then Draco's eyes caught sight of a red-head entering through the main doors, and he understood. His eyes darted over to the other Table, instinctively seeking Harry out, and raised a brow as the brunette met his eyes.

Draco tilted his head in shock at the raw hate on display in emerald eyes, and tried to warn the hot-headed Gryffindor to calm down. Harry shut his eyes, a pain grimace on his face, and when he opened them he stared resolutely down at his plate. Slowly the rest of his House followed his example, turning away from the frozen teen in the doorway and going back to what they were doing.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief as the Gryffindor's lowered their hackles, not noticing the glances he was receiving from his Godfather and friends as they watched him calm the Saviour from two Tables away. Draco merely knew he didn't have to watch a fight, and that relieved him. As good as he felt he didn't want to waste his precious energy worrying about Potter.

* * *

Severus watched the interaction between his Godson and Harry, wondering once more what had happened. The two enemies, at each other's throats more often than any other pair in the History of Hogwarts, were now suddenly best friends. At least- that's what Severus was able to see. For if Draco was able to calm the feral Gryffindor down with merely a look and a raised brow, what else could they be?

He regretted his actions of the day before, and wondered what he could have done differently. But with what he had known at the time, Severus did the only thing he could think of, and yet… it hadn't been the right decision. Draco had broken down, and the only thing Severus could remember thinking was that he had hurt his Godson in some way, and he didn't know how to fix it.

But the blonde Slytherin seemed to be doing fine now, Severus noticed, ignoring his friends with a practiced ease and eating his breakfast. Which was something new- recently the Prince of Slytherin had just pushed the food around his plate, pretending to eat.

Harry Potter had done something to his Godson, and Severus didn't know what. And he was damned if he was going to stay in the dark any longer.

* * *

Potions was long and hard as Snape was in a bad mood. The students in the know grimaced and kept quiet, exchanging sour glances with their companions as they worked in silence. Severus tolerated no noise, no unnecessary chatter, and no one wanted to test his patience.

As he dismissed the class with a sharp _"Get out!"_, he motioned for Harry and Draco to stay. The class filed out, sending the two teens questioning looks but obeying the stern man. When the classroom was empty Severus sighed, and gestured to two empty seats. Harry and Draco sat, faces intent as they watched the Potions Master gather his thoughts.

"I want to know what happened, and I want to know why the two of you changed so much."

The blunt statement startled Harry, and he glanced over to the blonde to see what he was thinking. But the Slytherin's face was curiously blank, and Harry shrugged in confusion. Turning back to Severus, Harry began to explain.

"When Draco fell ill with whatever that was, I knew that I could do something to help him. So I did." At Severus' questioning face, Harry shrugged. "No, I have no idea what I actually did, but it worked. But after I fixed whatever went wrong, I kind of… got sucked into him." Draco snorted, but Harry ignored the Slytherin and continued. "It ended up that we were… inside Draco, sir."

Severus raised a disbelieving brow, and Harry just shrugged. "I know how it sounds, but that's what happened. But it wasn't right- it was all messed up and _wrong. _So I did what I could to fix that, and then we were back."

Severus pursed his lips at the explanation. He knew there was more than the Gryffindor was telling- after all, they had been 'gone' for over six hours- and he turned to his Godson for more detail. But Draco was just watching him patiently, and Severus cursed to himself as he realized what the teen was waiting for. Stiffly- since apologizing in front of Potter's was not something he did day-to-day- he said, "Draco, my behavior yesterday was entirely inappropriate, given the situation. Though I did not realize what had happened, and I acted in the only way I knew how."

Harry stared at the Potions Master, eyes wide with shock. Was that an- _apology_- he'd just heard come out of the man's mouth? An actual apology? But Draco smiled wryly, and replied with a gleam in his eye, "It's a good thing I know what passes as an apology with you, Severus. Otherwise I'd never accept that."

Severus snorted, the sound harsh in the silent room. "One day you will actually try my patience, brat. Until then, you should show me proper respect." He paused, then looked at the time. "Get out. You are already late for Minerva, and I will not have her yelling at me for detaining you any longer."

He vanished into his office, leaving the two students to stand and exit his classroom. "Is he normally like that?" Harry asked as they began the long trek to Transfiguration.

"What? Abrupt? Rude? Sarcastic and utterly snarky when he doesn't get his way?" Draco flashed the Gryffindor a grin, and nodded. "Yes. He's always like that."

Harry controlled the pounding in his heart at the camaraderie, and laughed at the description. "Fun."

Draco laughed, and the sound rang in the empty corridor. "Yes, _fun._"

_

* * *

_

I am not happy with this chapter- I may take it down later and repost it. But I promised a chapter to Brianna, and here it is. If rather shorter than usual. At any rate, please review. I know it's not up to standard, but it's here.

_Thanks!_

_Netrixe_

_P.S.: Don't forget about the challenge!_


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